Weasleys at war
by Tumblerose
Summary: "Knocking another girl off her feet Fred?" "They just can't resist me George." Verity Stone, transfer student from Beauxbatons, doesn't know what she's let herself in for when she runs into the Weasley twins...literally. Will her dark past haunt her?
1. Dodging Dungbombs

DISCLAIMER: I don't have any rights to the characters other than the ones that are quite obviously not canon. Verity is all mine, hear that? However, if you want to mention her in your own story then let me know and I'll mention you back ^^

If you want to listen to an audio version then please visit my profile page and click on my homepage link. All the chapters will be put up on my Chirbit account, but remember to review on here! Thanks!

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Chapter One: Dodging Dungbombs

Birdcage in one hand and a satchel slung over her shoulder, Verity Stone watched with apprehension as child after child disappeared into a wall at London's King's Cross station. She was an odd sight to behold, a young girl of seventeen dressed in a normal fashion of jeans and a tee shirt but the owl was far from ordinary, who carried an owl as a pet? With a deep breath, she took the handle of the trolley in front of her, loaded up with a heavy looking trunk, and ran at the wall, disappearing from view, to Muggles at least. Gasping as she appeared on the other side, Verity had to wait a moment for the steam to clear before she took in the view of the impressive Hogwart's Express, this was a far cry from the delicate carriages of Beauxbatons back in her beloved France. The thought of her old home send a shadow scudding across her face for a moment before she steeled herself and plastered a default expression back on, hiding her true emotions from the public, she would not start a new school with the title of Crybaby.

Handing her trolley to the porters, she hoisted her satchel up on her shoulder once more and began to walk down the platform, searching for a carriage. That proved to be more difficult than she imagined. She found herself dodging falling trunks, escaped pets and distraught parents on top of all the students still milling around the platform.. Finally reaching a door which wasn't clogged by family traffic, Verity swung herself up onto the train just to bang into someone taller than her. The unpleasant feeling of falling rushed up from her stomach as she began to tip backwards off the train once more, her honey brown eyes glued to the red headed boy who she had bumped into. But before she could fall much further, he leaned forward and scooped an arm around her waist, dragging her back upright and flush against him.

"Sorry about that. You okay Love?" His voice was a pleasant average tone, it matched the grin which lit up his face.

"Uh, yeah. I'm sorry, that was really clumsy of me."

Before the boy could answer her, another boy appeared beside him causing Verity to blink in confusion, her eyes flicking between the two of them.

"Knocking another girl off her feet Fred?"

"They just can't resist me George."

Twins. That was going to be confusing. Someone slammed the door closed behind her, the force sending her staggering against the boy called Fred. He promptly fell into his brother George, and all three of them ended up in a heap on the floor.

"Ugh, I think I've broken something..."

"Yeah, my vial of fairy dust..."

Verity stared as her satchel began to rise of its own accord, or rather the contents were just dragging it into the air, very dubious contents. Struggling to untangle herself from the mess of limbs, she tried to lunge for the bag but missed, ending up on top of George with a small shriek. A tearing noise made them all look up, three pairs of brown eyes staring as half a dozen dungbombs ripped themselves free of the fabric. With a flick of her wand, a skilful feat considering she was half upside-down, the brunette whispered harshly as the pranking tools disappeared along the corridor into the Slytherin section of the train.

"Latet Occultus! Rixei!"

The dungbombs immediately vanished as Verity threw the invisibility charm at them, knowing that the effect only lasted a minute or two and quickly followed it with a Tripping jinx.

"We need to go! Before they realise those came from this direction!"

Getting to her feet, she reached for two hands, helping the boys to their feet and yanking them into a nearby compartment which was thankfully empty. She chucked her now ruined bag on the bench and propped her booted feet up, yanking a bottle of juice from the front pocket as the twins sat down. A minute later and the screams started, with several students running along the corridor of the train with hands held over their mouths. She couldn't help but wince at the scene, that had been her entire supply of dungbombs, it would be at least a month before she could get more.

"Oops..."

"Oops? You just created pandemonium with a few simple charms and some dungbombs!"

She cringed and suddenly found the laces on her boots very interesting, her red varnished nails picking at the strings. The laughter came out of nowhere, causing her head to jerk up in surprise. The twins were roaring with amusement, Fred was actually tearing up while George fought to breathe properly.

"W-what? What's so funny! I'm out of dungbombs now, how am I going to raid the kitchens without a distraction?"

Fred wiped his eyes and held out a hand to her, his cheerful face beaming. A little nervous, she took the hand and was rewarded with a yank into a three-way bear hug.

"That was brilliant. Who are you and can we keep you?"

"Uh, Verity Stone...not sure which house I'm in yet."

Twin grins grew bigger as they regarded the new classmate in their laps, brown eyes twinkling with mischief.

"I think you're safe with that. We're Fred and George Weasley, welcome to Hogwarts."


	2. French Fever

**DISCLAIMER: I don't have any rights to the characters other than the ones that are quite obviously not canon. **

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Chapter two: French Fever

"So you're French?"

Verity looked up at Fred from where she lay on the bench and shook her head, or at least tried to, it was a slightly difficult thing to do when one was lying down with their head in the lap of another.

"No, just lived there I'm afraid. My parents were British, thus the accent."

"Yeah, had noticed that. Definitely not French, I'd say it was more Scottish."

George was lounging on the opposite bench, popping Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans into his mouth like some teenage version of a Roman lord, cocky grin included. Fred, on the other hand, was making quite a comfortable pillow for the newcomer, his long legs propped up on George's bench as Verity was taking up the rest of their seat with her own legs. After sealing the compartment door against the victorious yet pungent odour of Dungbombs, the twins had sat the new girl down and proceeded to give her the Spanish Inquisition. Not that Verity minded much, she found it quite refreshing to talk about something other than the society balls and hair charms which her former classmates had found so enthralling.

"Mhm, Mum was from a small place on the North Coast, but Dad was English, London I think. She never really spoke about him to be honest."

"Must have been hard, you know, being transferred here without your family. You got anyone else over here?"

"Nope...just me, and Milkbottle of course."

George raised an eyebrow at her, a bean frozen in it's journey halfway towards his mouth.

"Who the bloody hell is Milkbottle?"

"My owl."

Fred blinked and looked down at the girl in his lap, his face whirring through a myriad of expressions before settling on one that currently mirrored his twin, curiosity.

"You named your owl Milkbottle? Stone, I'm beginning to think you are just a tad loopy..."

"Being normal is overrated."

"So true."

"Indeed George."

Verity grinned, her eyes closed as she relaxed in Fred's lap, the swaying motion of the train lulling her into gentle doze. It didn't help that the twins were doing the same, George had his eyes shut and was snoring softly across from her, meanwhile Fred was staring out of the window in a lethargic fashion. She was just drifting into the Land of Nod when Fred spoke up again, making her jump slightly as her eyes flickered open.

"Verity, you're hot."

She blinked up at Fred, her brown eyes narrowed in confusion at his comment while trying to sit up only to be pushed back down again.

"Uh, thanks? Hey, easy there."

"I meant you have a temperature, your skin is burning. You feeling alright?"

George opened one eye and rolled onto his side to face them, his wand already out and flicking at the compartment windows. Without a word, the blind rolled down and hid the trio from view as Fred laid a hand on her forehead with a frown.

"I'm fine, honest. Just a bit of a headache is all, probably from all those Dungbombs earlier. You guys don't seem like the kind to fuss over something that trivial."

"Yeah, but it's not everyday we come across someone worthy of our time. You're a prankster like us, and we outcasts have to stick together, right Fred?"

"Indubitably George. Though this has given me an idea..."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Does it involve a sweet with two ends?"

"You read my mind old boy."

"I'm obviously missing something here."

The twins looked over at the new girl with startled expressions, for a moment they had forgotten about her seeing as she was being so quiet. Most girls talking non-stop about rubbish, this one seemed to be a different breed.

"Uh, it's nothing, just shop talk."

"Yup, general twin banter, you know what we freaks of nature are like."

"Perfectly worded George. Hey Verity, is there a reason why you don't look like other Beauxbatons girls?"

The girl in question blinked again, this comment was even more confusing than the last. She pushed his hand away and sat up straight, her curls looking rather mussed from dozing in Fred's lap for so long. She looked different? Well that was obvious, she wasn't like the fashion plates that attended that school, spending hours pouring over curling techniques drove her up the wall.

"Not sure if that's an honest question or a thinly disguised insult there."

"What he means is that you look more like a real girl. The others seem kind of-"

"Fake." Fred yawned, stretching out his aching legs.

"I was going to say polished but fake works well."

Verity stared at them for a moment before looking down at herself, now clad in the Hogwart's uniform of a grey skirt, white shirt and black robes. True, it was nowhere near as fashionable as the blue silk dresses of Beauxbatons but she found it much comfier, and warmer, something that was needed in this colder climate.

"Is that a good thing then? That I'm not...polished?"

Fred grinned and wrapped an arm around her shoulders with a friendly sigh as George returned his own grin from across the compartment. The train chose to come to a juddering halt at that moment, the whistle blowing loudly to signal their arrival in case anyone had missed it.

"It's a brilliant thing. Come on, let's get you into Gryffindor."

"You do realise that I might not get into your house?"

"Bollocks, all pranksters are put into Gryffindor. Because only McGonagall can deal with us."

She was still laughing as they grabbed their bags and left train to catch the carriages up to the castle. Perhaps they were right, maybe she would be put in the same house as them. She certainly wouldn't mind it, having friends who you could actually have an intellectual conversation with would be novel. A bright grin spread across her face at the very idea, this was going to be fun.

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A/N: Hi there, I know this is only a short version of what I first intended but fate seems to have it in for me and I was in bed all day feeling quite sorry for myself. Apologies. With any luck, the next chapter will be longer!

Coming up: Verity gets sorted, Umbridge rears her ugly head, and a certain cat is locked in a suit of armour...can you guess which?

Please review!


	3. Placing Pranksters

**DISCLAIMER: I don't have any rights to the characters other than the ones that are quite obviously not canon. **

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Chapter three: Placing Pranksters

The Great Hall was...well...Great. No, big, no not that either, huge! Verity shook her head and sighed, who was she kidding? The Great Hall was immense. Massive banners hung down from the vaulted ceiling to depict each of the four houses, resplendent banners which bore the totem animals. And there were four amazingly long tables which stretched nearly the full length of the room, complete with matching benches which were currently full of students from second year to seventh. The ceiling reflected the sky outside, currently a cloudy indigo hue with scudding shapes flitting across the surface. But these were not her favourite. Her eyes were solely on the four hourglasses hanging near the door on the wall, each filled with rubies, emeralds, sapphires and topaz. Already the Gryffindor glass had a spattering of rubies in the bottom half, a reflection of what she had come to realise was a record breaking attempt, courtesy of the Weasley twins. It seemed that between her being dragged off to stand with the new students and the sorting, Fred and George had got a hold of the caretaker's cat, some dreadful name of Mrs Boris or something, and locked the moggie in a suit of armour. The sheer genius of it made her chuckle to herself in a way that had the scared First years looking as though their world had just gotten worse now they were standing with a lunatic.

Snapping out of her daydream, Verity turned back to watch as the First years were sorted into their houses, small people with terrified expressions on their pale faces, she hoped that she looked a little calmer. Along with herself, there were two other transfer students, another girl and a boy, both looked cool and collected. From their accents she had pegged them as former students of the magic school in America, The Salem School for Spells and Witchcraft. They bugged her already, the girl rivalled the gorgeous females of Beauxbatons and the boy looked like one of those Muggle actors, Brad something or other. She was so focused on her musings that it wasn't until the girl dug her in the ribs that she realised Dumbledore was talking again.

"And I am pleased to announce that we have three new students this year, transferring from other schools. I'm sure you will all go out of your ways to make them feel-"

"Ahem."

The Headmaster turned to face a rather pink looking teacher as she stood up and walked around to the front of the stage. But instead of insisting she wait until the sorting was over, he merely bowed and let her continue.

"After you, Professor Umbridge."

"Why thank you Headmaster. I was just going to say, that it is simply lovely to see such smiling faces so eager to join in with this splendid institution. I'm sure they cannot wait to discover what delights this country hold for them, but we must all remember that they are far from their own homes and must be treated kindly." The simpering woman smiled sickeningly at Verity and the other two, it made her want to throw up. "Salem is well known for their impeccable spell work, something we would all do well to learn from these two young people. And Beauxbatons, well I think we all know what a gorgeous school that is. I'm sure that the students of Hogwart's will go out of their way to show you all around and learn your cultures, and languages. English can be a complex language to learn, so do not fret if you find yourself unable to answer some questions dear."

Verity stared at the woman, knowing that she meant her and cleared her throat to speak in her soft, Scottish lilt.

"I'll bear that in mind Professor."

The shocked look on the woman's face made it very difficult for her to keep a straight face but the giggles she heard from behind her proved that she had made her point. With a huff and a glare, Dolores Umbridge stalked back to her seat, continuously throwing the new girl evil eyes as Dumbledore continued.

"Where were we? Oh yes, please welcome your new classmates and indulge in a little culture. Professor McGonagall, if you would?"

"Altridge, Brent."

The boy walked forward with a gleaming smile and a small wink at the Transfiguration Professor, earning a slight chuckle from Dumbledore whilst Verity fought to roll her eyes, what a twat. She watched as the hat was placed on his head but it had barely touched before...

"Slytherin!"

"Figures..." Verity muttered under her breath as she saw Brent saunter over to the green table where he was immediately swamped by simpering girls.

"Goldman, Felicia."

The blond in front of her beamed and practically skipped up to the platform, crossing one leg over the other like a good débutante as the hat descended upon her.

"Hufflepuff!"

She was now the last one left, with all eyes on her as Felicia finally took her seat amongst a gaggle of incredibly annoying and loud girls who all burst into giggles upon her arrival.

"Stone, Verity."

It felt like she was walking to her death as she took the few steps to the rickety stool on the dais, gingerly sitting down in case she broke the thing, never mind the fact that over fifty others had already warmed the wood with their bums before her. Facing the crowd, she silently gulped, hundreds of eyes on her as the hat was lowered onto her head. She was not prepared for the voice that suddenly echoed in her mind though, and nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Ah, Beauxbatons had you first I see. Good school, good school. Let me see...a sharp mind there, possibly a fit for Ravenclaw. But also a great deal of mischief...cunning but not the Slytherin kind... I think I know where I will put you, pranksters of your calibre can only go into...GRYFFINDOR!"

She could feel her mouth curving into a smile before her bum had even left the chair, the hat half falling off as she jumped up before McGonagall had fully taken it off her. Verity's grin only grew bigger when she saw twin red heads pointing at a space on a bench between them and all but ran to them, squeezing into the tiny gap.

"Alright!"

"Told you it wouldn't be a problem!"

"Yeah, we got Stone!"

She had to laugh as the twins yelled both in her ear and along with the cheers of the whole table, were they actually cheering for her? Mental. Fred, or possible George, she wasn't sure which, was already filling her plate with the food that had magically appeared before her, whilst the other was filling her goblet with pumpkin juice. A handsome boy with dreads who was sitting opposite her, leaned over and shook her hand with a smile.

"Welcome! I'm Lee Jordan, I do the Quidditch commentating. And these are Angelina Johnson, Quidditch Captain of Gryffindor, Katie Bell, Chaser, and Alicia Spinnet, our other Chaser."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Verity Stone, and I don't play Quidditch."

Conversation came to an abrupt halt around her, six pairs of eyes on her in seconds, causing a dark blush to rise up to her cheeks. Fred was actually sitting with his jaw dropped, a fork halfway to his mouth. Pretending to be completely astonished by the steak pie on her plate, Verity took a big forkful and jammed it in to her mouth, staring all the while at the mashed potatoes that, whichever twin had done so, had put on her plate.

"You don't play...or you can't play?"

She risked a glance to her right and grimaced when she found her face inches from a twin, quickly swallowing the hot pie.

"Uh...never tried? I mean, I can ride a broom but...um...Beauxbatons doesn't really do Quidditch... So, I never really learned the rules and all that...I'm kind of hopeless with it all to be honest."

"Well that is something we shall have to remedy, right Fred?"

George wrapped an arm around her with a grin as Fred placed his fork down on his plate and wiped the shocked look off his face.

"Indeed, you have to know who to cheer for when you start watching us during the matches."

"Won't I be watching the whole team?"

"Nope, you'll be watching us, me in particular really." Fred leaned forward with a grin and whispered loudly. "I'm just that good looking see."

The table burst out laughing while Verity turned a bright red and grinned back at the fool, shaking her head. George let go of her and reached over to flick his twin's nose, resulting in a yelp from Fred.

"Everyone knows I'm the better looking twin Freddie."

"In your dreams Georgie."

"How do you put up with them?" Verity leaned over to the girls, Lee being far too interested in his banana split.

"Patience." Angelina laughed back.

"I ignore them." Muttered Katie as she speared a potato.

"What Angelina said." Alicia was grinning her head off as she looked over at the boys.

"So I'm screwed?"

All three girls laughed and answered in unison.

"YES!"

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A/N: So the sorting has happened! Plus we see a feud already beginning between Verity and Umbridge, but do you really blame the girl?

Coming up: Quidditch lessons, a rude awakening, and lessons begin...along with detentions.

**Please review! **I love reviews, they make me feel all warm and fuzzy. Plus the criticism really helps me help you. So what is there to lose?


	4. Deskplants and Detentions

**DISCLAIMER: I don't have any rights to the characters other than the ones that are quite obviously not canon. **

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Chapter Four: Deskplants and Detentions

It was seven o'clock in the morning and already there was chaos in the Seventh Year girl's dorm room. Verity had awoken to the sort of shrieks she usually associated with murder and various articles of lingerie flying around the room, she never knew knickers came in so many colours! After she had gathered her half-awake thoughts into some semblance of order, she realised that the reason for all the yelling was because someone was in the bathroom and apparently taking a very long time. At least that's what she thought Alicia meant with all the screams of "You're taking forever!" and "Don't use all the hot water!", but she could have been mistaken seeing as Angelina was blinking in confusion at the scene of destruction as well. Gingerly picking up a pair of forest green knickers from her duvet, Verity threw them onto the ever growing pile in the middle of the floor and risked a chance at getting out of bed, just to find her vision suddenly obscured by a bra of the same colour dangling from her ear.

"Oh you found the knickers! Brilliant, thanks Verity!" Alicia beamed as she retrieved the aforementioned undies and unhooked her bra from her new friend's head.

"...Pas de problème. Est-il temps de se lever déjà?"

Alicia blinked at her, as did a confused looking Angelina who was also trying to make her way through the debris. Verity raised a brow at them, wondering why they were looking at her in such a fashion before smacking her forehead with a palm and sighing.

"Sorry, still getting used to this whole talking-in-English thing. We spoke constant French at school."

"Ah, figured as much. What did you say anyway? It sounded kind of cool."

She had to smile at the laid back Quidditch Captain as she threw her trunk open and began to look for underwear of her own, something that wouldn't look out of place amongst the pile of what had to be half a La Senza shop before her.

"Umm...no problem...and is it time to get up already...I think, too sleepy to really mind what I said." She replied in a muffled voice as she hunted for the matching cream bra to her boy shorts, finally pulling them out from inside a woolly hat.

When Katie eventually emerged from the bathroom, heralded by a cloud of steam and a dive for the door from Alicia, Angelina and Verity were already looking over each others uniforms. Apparently the new girl was sticking too close to the rules with the skirt, a problem quickly overcome by rolling the waistband three times so it sat at thigh height rather than knee. But Angelina gasped at the shoes she intended to wear, little black ballet flats with a ribbon, something that Verity couldn't see the issue with.

"You're in Seventh Year! You could totally wear heels and the teachers wouldn't care anymore. Like these!" She cried, fishing out a pair of black patent heels with an ankle strap.

"Because those make a lovely clicking clacking noise when I walk, whereas these..." She slipped the flats on while adjusting her shirt to sit better. "Make no sound at all."

Angelina shook her head in despair as she pulled on her own heels while Katie puttered around trying to find her tie, meanwhile Alicia had gotten lost in the bathroom, perhaps there was a secret passage in there? Ridding her mind of such nonsense, Verity grabbed her satchel and made for the stairs, tossing her hair over one shoulder in a practice manner, you were no one at Beauxbatons unless you could do the hair flick. You also had to learn how to get dressed quickly when sharing a dorm with French girls, it wasn't unheard of for some to get up at six o'clock just to start pushing for the bathroom, luckily she had showered the night before just in case. As promised, she made no noise when descending into the sumptuous common room, perfect seeing as there was a familiar shock of red hair with his back to her on the couch. Padding up behind him, she leaned forward and whispered into his ear.

"Boo."

The boy promptly yelled like a First Year girl and pitched forward off the couch to end up on the floor in a heap. Unfortunately, it wasn't one of the twins. Verity bit her lower lip and offered a hand to help him up, his blue eyes rather wild as he took in the sight of his attacker.

"Sorry, I thought you were Fred or George. Forgive me?"

"Uh, yeah...sure...um...I'm Ron, Ron Weasley...I uh..."

"Ah Ronnikins!"

"Thought we heard the sound of your singing."

Verity spun around to face the Boy's staircase with a happy grin as she hoisted her bag back on her shoulder, Ron quickly following suit as his blush turned his cheeks aflame. Fred, she was guessing at this point, sauntered forward and wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulders before whispering something in his ear that made Ron turn even redder and run past them back up the stairs. Raising her right brow, she turned to look at him, wondering what on earth he had said to make his, obviously younger, brother run away.

"I told him that you're on the hunt for a toy boy, and have a weakness for red hair." Fred winked at her as he leaned back against the sofa.

"Did you now?" She grinned even more as George came to stand beside her with a matching smile.

"Yup. Not sure about the toy boy part but how can you resist redheads who look like us, eh? I know you've thought about us naked."

She burst out laughing for a moment before taking a deep breath, pressing her fingertips together in a steeple shape. George winked at his twin, knowing where he was going with this, one of them was bound to end up in stitches or red-faced.

"You got me. I'm so transparent! Fred, George...it's true, I'm completely infatuated with you. Don't be alarmed if you think you see someone in the showers, that will just be me." She sighed wistfully before swinging her bag at Fred with a laugh, turning on her heel and walking toward the portrait hole.

A minute later, she was rewarded by two arms being slung over her shoulders forcing her to duck slightly as they leaned their combined weight on her. It wasn't until they reached the Great Hall that the subject of Quidditch came up again, much to her chagrin. And it didn't stop there, Ron sat opposite them and joined in the conversation with relish, going on about a bunch of, what she presumed were manoeuvres, called all sorts of weird names like 'The Wronski Feint'. She thought she had escaped when another boy with messy black hair sat down and passed the toast to her with a smile, only to drop her head to the table when he began to talk about 'The Kiffling Pass'.

"You get it now Verity?"

She looked up with a stunned expression, not having heard a word they had mentioned in the last five minutes between bites of bacon and bread. All four boys were looking at her in amusement, make that five, Lee had just walked in with a yawn and proceeded to pinch Ron's eggs.

"Er...The Niffling Pass, sure..."

"It's _Kiffling_, you flobberworm. Not Niffling!" Fred roared, his eyes crinkling with mirth as Ron shook his head in disappointment.

"Well I don't know, do I? It all sounds like another language to me." She huffed, but quickly smiled again when George poked her in the ribs. "Alright, explain the positions to me again, what do you do on the team?"

"Fred and I are Beaters, we deflect the Bludgers back at the other team so our Chasers have a clear path to the goals." He nodded over to Ron. "Ron here plays Keeper, pretty self explanatory there, he stops the other team from scoring in our goals. With me so far?"

She nodded, absent mindedly munching on her toast as Professor McGonagall walked past and handed them all a piece of parchment. No doubt their new timetables.

"And Harry here is the Seeker, it's his job to catch the Snitch before the other team. It's the only way the games ends, plus it earns the Seeker's team one hundred and fifty points."

"Right, got it. You bash the balls, the Chasers throw the balls, and the Seeker tries to catch the one that no one can ever see..." She thought it over as she spoke, ignoring how Lee started laughing at her simplified version of the game.

"She's kind of right Lee." Harry smiled and offered her his hand in greeting. "Nice to meet you, Verity is it?"

"Oh sorry! Verity Stone, nice to meet you Harry the Seeker."

"That's Harry Potter, Verity."

She promptly knocked her tea over as she let go of his hand, her eyes flicking to his forehead where she saw the tell-tale scar. Within seconds she had caught herself and was blushing with embarrassment as she tried to stutter an apology.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry, I didn't even realise! Someone said you were on the team earlier and I didn't put two and two together. And now I'm staring, someone slap me please."

She jumped as a hand smacked her backside with relish, her own hand swinging toward Fred on a collision path with his face. Unfortunately, George grabbed her wrist and pulled her back into his arms, preventing her from moving any further.

"Now, now Stone. Violence is never the answer."

"Unless you dealing with Slytherin."

"Exactly, then we encourage you to hex them into next month."

All she could do was wriggle in his iron grip while Harry and Ron made a swift exit, leaving the Seventh Years to finally go over their timetables. After he was sure she wasn't going to leave her mark on Fred's face, George let her go, only to grab her timetable and start comparing it to his.

"Well, well. Exactly the same except for you taking Ancient Runes instead of Muggle Studies."

"Really? What do we have first?"

George put the parchment down in front of them, all three looking over the same sheet as Fred's finger traced through Monday's list. They sighed in unison, Mondays were definitely a day to get you down.

"Double Defence against the Dark Arts with Slytherin, double potions with Slytherin again. Lunch, then Herbology with the Ravenclaws, not too bad, and finally free period. At least it gets better after food."

"Yeah but we're still stuck with the snakes for the first half of the day. Umbridge looks like she's going to be a right boring old lemon."

"No worse than Snape, he's going to be hell this year, what with us studying for N.E.W.T.s."

"Weren't we supposed to be in Umbridge's class about five minutes ago?"

The twins stared at Verity, then the timetables, and then back at her. With a joined cry of "Bugger!" they half dragged her out of the hall and started to run toward the classroom. She lost track of where they were going after the first ten corridors, there were too many pictures to use as landmarks and not enough signs. When they finally skid to a stop in front of the door she realised that she was the first one in the room, an unwilling human shield.

"Ah, Miss Stone and the Mr Weasleys. Finally decided to join us? It doesn't do to be tardy, especially on one's first day of class, does it? Heh hem! Ten points each from Gryffindor."

"But Professor, it was my fault. I got hopelessly confused with the castle and had to get Fred and George to help me plot my lesson plan."

Professor Umbridge smiled sweetly and indicated the three remaining desks with her wand, the smile not quite reaching her eyes. As they slid into the allocated seats, Verity could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, a sure sign that a certain professor was watching her every move.

"Well, if that is the case, ten points for Mr and Mr Weasley for being late." Verity looked up in confusion, had the woman not heard her? "And Miss Stone, you will serve detention tonight for being late, disorganised, and dragging two other students into the mess you created."

"But Professor! I-"

"Enough! You will all learn that being tardy is no excuse in my classroom! Wands away, you won't be needing those. Please open your Ministry approved textbooks at Chapter Three, there will be no need for talking."

Verity's jaw dropped as the information sunk in, her first day and already she had detention. Not that she truly minded, she frequently went out of her way to create havoc but this was just unfair, especially after she had explained herself. Glancing at the twins, she shook her head, indicating that she would talk to them about it later, now was not the time. She would find some way to get her own back, on _her_ terms, not Umbridge's.

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A/N: My longest chapter yet, see I can write more when I have more time ^_^ Plus I spent my day reading some great fics, check out 'Crossed Hearts' by 'Whatever makes you break.' It's brilliant.

Coming up: Detention with Umbridge, a slip of the tongue, and a broomstick ride!

**RuuunItsJasmine: **Thank you to my first reviewer!You made my day!

**Skipperdoodle: **Verity is a girl after my own heart, if I start falling into Mary Sue territory then feel free to slap me on the wrist though I think she has enough flaws to avoid that, as you'll soon see. And yes! The Golden trio is here, though Hermione has gotten lost in the library, fancy that.

**Please Review!** It truly cheers me up and inspires me to update knowing that someone is waiting on the next chapter.


	5. Bloody Noses and Hands

**DISCLAIMER: I don't have any rights to the characters other than the ones that are quite obviously not canon. **

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Chapter Five: Bloody noses and hands

Defence against the Dark Arts had officially become the worst subject in the entire Wizarding World, trumping even History of Magic. Boring was an understatement, it was as though Umbridge had hidden Dementors in the desks with the overwhelming void of cheery banter and eager smiles.

_ "Maybe her mother tricked her father and slept with one, it would explain far too much..."_ Verity though darkly as she packed her textbook into her bag once more and dove into the crowd rushing for the door.

"If her lessons are going to be like that for the rest of the year I'm going to end up punching her in the face." Lee vehemently spat, his dreads mussed into a messy halo from running his fingers through them in boredom for the last hour and a half.

It seemed all of the Seventh Years agreed with his statement, even Alicia's eyes lit up at the prospect of smacking the Ministry meddler in the gob. Angelina rolled her eyes as the short blonde mimed knocking Umbridge for six to Katie, their giggles grating on Verity's temper, she couldn't stand gigglers.

"Alicia, seriously, if you tried to punch _anything_ you would break a nail and faint from the tragedy of it."

The group halted in the corridor, a low whistle escaping Fred's lips as Alicia threw the tall black girl a look which would have put a Basilisk to shame.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean Angelina?" Her voice dripped with venom and Verity just knew that this was going to turn into a showdown.

"Do you really think that you could take on Umbridge? Or anyone for that matter? You couldn't hurt a Flobberworm."

"I can hurt you, want me to prove it?" Alicia screamed, already lunging for Angelina.

Another ear splitting whistle caused everyone to wince and turn to glare at Fred who was trying very hard not to laugh, unfortunately George and Lee had already succumbed and were doing nothing to hide their grins.

"As much as I love a good cat-fight, can I suggest waiting until we get back to the Common Room before continuing with this?"

"Why would they continue this stupid argument after Lunch Fred?" Katie looked confused, her blue eyes narrowed in thought.

"Because we'll have the mud pit set up by then Katie, and those two can get changed into bikinis."

Alicia huffed with indignation and spun on her heel, her long blonde hair flicking out in a perfect sheet as she began to walk ahead of them. It would have been much less funny if Peeves hadn't chosen that moment to dump an entire bottle of ink on her head, the result of which was a torrent of screams as Alicia ran toward Gryffindor Tower in tears. Verity had to hold onto Angelina to keep from falling over in laughter, her knees threatening to give way until George took her arm and slung her onto his back. Katie had played peacemaker and run off after her friend, leaving the others to explain to Snape what had happened as they filed into yet another boring lesson full of Slytherins. Lunch couldn't come soon enough.

Settling on the benches beside the ball box, Verity leaned back against the stands to watch the Gryffindor team launch into the air for an impromptu Quidditch practice, her head tilted back to squint up at them. Angelina seemed to be taking the Captaincy in her stride, or so she assumed by the constant muttered references to her being possessed by someone called Wood, it wasn't until a bushy haired girl explained about the previous Captain that Verity got the joke.

"Hermione Granger, Fifth year. I'm friends with Harry and Ron." She said as she held out a hand decorated in ink blotches and bitten nails.

"Verity Stone, Seventh year. I'm-"

"The transfer student, yes I remember from the Sorting Ceremony. They're showing you how to play Quidditch? I know Beauxbatons' extra-curricular programme leans more towards the Arts than Sports."

Verity blinked in surprise, this girl knew about her school's programmes? She looked over her again, re-evaluating her original take on the girl now that she knew she was far shrewder than first presumed. Hermione looked like a poster girl for Librarians, messy attire, arms full of books and hair that was bushy from tugging on it when pondering an answer.

"Exactly that. How do you know about the Arts classes? Hardly anyone knows about that unless they went there."

"Oh my parents holiday in the South of France, near Carcassonne, so I've picked up some things about the school when talking to the local wizards." Her eyes shone with excitement as she spoke.

"That makes sense I suppose. I think Hogwarts is better though, dancing will get you nowhere but knowing how to ride a broom will."

Her eyes were back on the team, trying to follow their movements with difficulty seeing as the sun had decided to come out for a brief moment. It seemed Hermione had realised that the conversation had come to a standstill and was now buried nose deep in a book about jinxes, a very old book by the musty smell wafting from its pages at every turn. Her relief was obvious when the team landed again, Alicia immediately storming off toward the changing rooms without waiting for the others, she was still peeved from the small fight earlier. The twins hung back, claiming that they would put the balls away this time, that made Verity suspicious straight away.

"Okay...why are you cleaning up? It doesn't seem like something you usually do."

Fred picked up the large red ball, the Quaffle she remembered, and threw it at her, taking her by surprise. Moving almost without realising it, she caught it only centimetres from her face, her eyes wide in shock.

"Nice catch Very." The red head grinned and swung his leg back over his broom, lifting a few feet from the ground.

"Fred! You could have...what did you call me?" She spluttered before realising that he had said something a little odd.

"Very. We thought it was cute, kind of like you." With a wink he was airborne, flying up out of fist range.

Very, her Mother had called her that. She was so lost in thought that she didn't hear George come up behind her until he took the Quaffle from her hands, making her jump.

"Merde! Don't do that! You just scared me out of year's growth!" She yelped, her attacker grinning his head off at her.

"Come on Jumpy, get on the broom."

She stared at the Comet Two Sixty with big eyes while George swung a leg over it and held his hand out to her. This would not end well, she could hardly keep on course when flying and that was when she had both hands free! With a deep breath she followed suit and sat in front of him, strong arms wrapping around her waist to keep her from falling as they rose to meet Fred in mid-air. George leaned around and pried her hands from the broom shaft, his knees keeping them level while he placed her fingers around the Quaffle.

"We won't let you fall, promise. I'll keep the broom up, you just need to pass the Quaffle to Fred, okay?" His voice was calming, a warm breath on her neck.

"A-alright. I can do that I guess..."

Throwing in mid-air was much different from on the ground, she never thought the wind would have so much control over the direction. The red ball flew too far to the right and began to plummet.

"Oh no! I'm sorry! I stuffed that up." She gasped as it hurtled toward the ground, Fred zooming away to retrieve it, his school tie streaming in the air as he raced back to them with it in his hands.

"Don't worry about it. Try again." He grinned and threw it to her, her fingers catching it with ease but the momentum making the broom tilt to the left before George straightened them up once more.

_"I am never laughing at Quidditch players ever again, this is so hard!"_ Her thought raced through her head as she squinted and threw the Quaffle again, but this time it actually reached its target...a little too enthusiastically.

Fred swore as the ball hit him in the nose and clapped a hand over his face, blood already leaking under his fingers. The other two were beside him in a minute, George quickly passing over something purple which his twin popped into his mouth. Verity looked on, concerned, but her worries were unfounded as Fred removed his hand a moment later to show that the nosebleed had stopped.

"I am so sorry Fred, I didn't mean to hurt you. Honest, I-"

"Shut up Very." He laughed and reached over to ruffle her hair. "I've had worse. Besides, it's all fixed now, see?"

She simply nodded but said nothing as they zoomed back to the ground, her first day and she had already bludgeoned her new friend, what a start to the year. The rest of the day passed without a hitch, though the amount of homework that had been forced on them was surely criminal, her essay on the uses of Snargaluff bark for medicinal purposes would have to wait until the morning to be completed. Brushing a strand of hair from her face she rolled up her completed Veritaserum research and got to her feet, the other Seventh Years looking up at her in confusion.

"Detention, remember?" She sighed, slinging her bag over her shoulder with a resigned air.

Angelina's expression softened, followed by a pat on the back from Lee who was shaking his head. The twins said nothing, but their eyes had gone icy, still angry at the unfair judgement of the new Professor but there was nothing they could do...for now. Verity walked to Umbridge's room in silence, the occasional cackle of Peeves the Poltergeist echoing through the halls behind her. She didn't even have to knock on the door as it was already open, someone else had just gone in and was holding it for her. Harry gave her a quick smile as she slipped inside and shut it behind them, the protuberant eyes of Umbridge watching their every move.

"Well, sit down. Now, you're going to be doing some lines for me tonight. No, not with your quills." They looked at each other before putting their quills back in their bags and taking a seat at the table in front of her. "You'll be using some rather special ones of mine. Here you are."

They were handed two long, thin black quills with unusually sharp points, Verity could feel her skin crawl as she picked hers up with distaste. Harry looked like he was thinking the exact same thing.

"Mr Potter, I want you to write, _I must not tell lies._ And Miss Stone, you will be writing, _I will not be late_. There will be no need for talking."

Harry raised his hand as the horrible woman took a seat in the squishy chintz armchair before them, a cup of tea materialising in her hand.

"How many times?" He asked, his voice polite though Verity knew he was inwardly seething by the way he was gripping the quill too tight.

"Oh, as long as it takes for the message to sink in," said Umbridge sweetly. "Off you go."

Verity set her quill to the parchment and immediately saw a problem, her hand rising this time.

"You haven't given us any ink."

"Oh, you won't need any ink," said Professor Umbridge, with the underlying hint of amusement in her voice.

Harry let out a gasp which made Verity look over, his face seemed pained for a moment but he quickly wiped it off when he saw Umbridge watching.

"Yes?"

"Nothing." He muttered, going back to his lines

Verity put her quill to parchment again and wrote _I must not be late_ at the top of the scroll, the words forming in shining red ink. She felt a sharp pain in her right hand and looked down in horror to see the words she had just written gouged into the back of her hand, the blood shining in the candlelight very much like the ink on the page. The words disappeared in moments as though someone had healed the wound, only leaving the skin a little reddened. On and on it went, while darkness fell outside. She could see Harry occasionally flinching as his hand was cut open, this was barbaric! She had resorted to biting her lower lip to distract herself from the stinging pain, not wanting to show the weakness that the Professor obviously wanted them to reveal. Only when the largest candle had burned down halfway did she finally look up and smile at them with that hideous patronising fashion.

"I believe that will do for the night. Mr Potter, I expect you back here tomorrow night at the same time. Good night."

They slowly stood up, their backs aching from having sat for so long hunched over the desk. It wasn't until they were halfway back to the common room that they broke the silence, their voices low but vehement.

"Did your hand-" Verity ventured uncertainly.

"Yeah, just like yours...you okay?" Harry looked over at her, his green eyes large and brooding behind round glasses.

"Fine, it healed over. Feels like someone shoved bees under my skin though."

"Mine too. Listen, Verity...I don't think we should tell anyone about this."

She stopped walking and stared at him in disbelief, her jaw dropping until he took her arm and made her continue their journey.

"I mean it, if we tell anyone then Umbridge wins this sick game she's playing."

"I wasn't _going_ to tell anyone Harry. I was just surprised you thought I would. There's no way I'm to let that toad-faced bint have the satisfaction of winning over Hogwarts."

He grinned and nodded, looking somewhat relieved with her answer as they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. Muttering the password of "Mimbulus Mimbletonia" they climbed through the hole the portrait had swing forward to reveal and parted ways, she up the stairs to the girl's dorm and he to the boy's. She would keep that night's events to herself, but it was good to have someone who knew what had happened, that way she wouldn't feel the need to blurt it out to someone else. It may have been a rotten way to spend the evening, but if it earned her a friendship with Harry Potter then Verity couldn't see it being all that bad.

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A/N: It took a couple more days than I originally intended to get this chapter out, work was so boring that all I wanted to do when I got home was fall into bed with a good book. But I hope you liked this latest update, it was snowing so hard today that we've been practically snowed in so I had time to really put my all into it.

Coming up: Fainting Fancies, a musical discovery and the girls go somewhat ballistic.

**Danika-chan07: **Thank you!

**Keely Matthews (who was too lazy to login): **Hope you like it!

**Erin:** I fully intend to write more lol

**Please review! **I love opening my hotmail and seeing I have mail in my fanfic folder. This story is the result of me working eight hour shifts in the Fitting Rooms, I have a lot of time on my hands XD


	6. Catfights and Curses

**DISCLAIMER: I don't have any rights to the characters other than the ones that are quite obviously not canon. **

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Chapter Six: Catfights and Curses

It felt as though she had just fallen asleep when Verity was rudely awoken by the sound of screaming and shouting, enough noise to make her sit bolt upright in bed before tangling herself in the duvet and falling out of the four poster through her crimson curtains. Rubbing her sore head with a sigh, she looked up from the tangle she was in to see Angelina and Alicia standing opposite each other with their wands drawn, a nervous Katie trying to make them see reason. It was too early for this kind of thing, the sun was only just peeking over the mountains through the window.

"You showed me up in front of him! How could you do that, you know I like him!" Alicia yelled, quickly followed by a Jelly Legs Jinx.

"_You_ like him? Since when? Since I went to the Yule Ball with him? Grow up Alicia and get a grip!" Angelina was now wobbling all over the place thanks to the jinx, her legs refusing to stay still but she managed to flick her wand. "Rictusempra!"

Verity's gaze shot back to Alicia who immediately fell on the floor in silent hysterics as the Tickling Jinx hit her ribs with a vengeance, all the while poor Katie just twiddled her fingers, unable to choose sides. The laughing blonde spluttered a gasped "Finite!" and lay on her back gulping air, trying to get her breath back as Angelina remembered the correct anti-jinx to stop her unsteady legs.

"I've _always_ liked Fred! And you...you stole him! You bitch! Tarantallegra!" Angelina's legs started to dance in a crazy fashion, carrying her around the room while she spun out of control, giving Alicia time to get to her feet.

When Verity looked back to Katie she was astonished to see the girl running into the bathroom and locking the door behind her, obviously giving up on a situation which was gradually getting worse. Kicking and fighting the blankets away to get up off the floor she heard voices on the other side of their door, then the banging started. The other girls were trying to get in. Finally free of her restraints, the new girl stood up and grabbed her wand off the bedside table, flicking it at the two girls just as Alicia tried to throw a curse at Angelina.

"Reduc-"

"RELASHIO!" Verity roared, red sparks flying from her wand to knock the two girls on the floor, narrowly stopping Alicia from blowing a hole in her room mate.

The door burst open at that moment, Hermione Granger falling through the opening with her wand held aloft and prefect badge stuck haphazardly to her pyjama top, the other girls ranging from First to Sixth year standing behind her. Judging by the looks on their faces they were disappointed that they had missed the fight, a few even sighing and trudging back down the stairs to their own dorms. It was only then that Verity realised her watch read ten past six, no wonder she was tired. Grabbing her blanket and watch, she pushed passed the crowd outside, muttering to herself in French, and made her way downstairs to the Common Room where the Gryffindor boys stood. A hand grabbed her shoulder and spun her around so quickly that she and the person who the hand belonged to tripped in the folds of her blanket, she fell to the floor for the second time that morning except this time she butted heads with the redhead on top of her.

"Ouch! Ce qui, dans...Get off me you prat!" She spluttered while trying to find the edge of the blanket, unwittingly bashing her head against his again.

"For the love of Merlin's left butt cheek! Very, quick wriggling will you?" George yelped as his nose connected with her blanketed face, a sharp cry coming from Verity as the jolt caused her to bite her own lip.

He grabbed the edge of the blanket and pulled, sending his friend flat onto her face, her nose smushed in the rug as Lee and Fred roared with laughter above them. Just as George got to his feet again, Verity swung her left leg around and caught his ankle, sending him face first onto the sofa with his legs sticking up in the air, his fist catching in twin in the process and knocking him onto his back. By this point Lee was near to wetting himself and Ron, who was watching with the rest of the the Fifth year boys, was finding it hard to breathe. Pushing herself up off the floor, Verity grabbed the offending blanket and turned to face the twins who were groggily sitting up on the floor and sofa respectively, her pretty face marred by the blood staining her swollen lower lip.

"What happened?" Moaned Fred, clutching his head.

"Verity, that's what. Nice pj's V, trés hot." Replied George, rubbing his nose as he squinted up at the girl who stood above them wrapping the blanket around herself to hide her shorts and camisole combo complete with a picture of Kirley Duke, the lead guitarist from the Weird Sisters, emblazoned across her chest.

He was rewarded by a flick to his aching nose, yelping loudly as pain shot through his face again. Verity turned to the other boys and glared at them, pointing her finger menacingly at Ron who quickly gulped in fear.

"Ron Weasley, you're a prefect! Get everyone back to bed before someone fetches McGonagall or do you want her biting off your head for all this mess?"

"Bugger! Good point! Get back to bed! Everyone!" He pushed a handful of First years towards the stairwell. "Go on midgets!"

As the boys filed back upstairs, Verity turned her attention back to Fred and George, who had got to their feet by this point and were standing side by side waiting for her with flat looks on their faces. It was her turn to gulp.

"Where was the need? Seriously, what did I ever do to you?" George raised an eyebrow as he looked at her.

"You made me bite through my own lip, that's what you did." She pointed to her mouth, indicating the obvious damage with a wince, one that George returned.

"Okay, point taken. I was only trying to help. Come here and let us see that."

"No way, it can heal itself. I am going to take my blanket and go back to sleep, so excuse me." She pushed between them and flopped down on the sofa that Fred had just vacated, wrapping herself up tight in the blanket.

Fred shook his head, walking over and picking her up off the sofa and flinging her over his shoulder, the blanket effectively trapping her arms at her sides. She squealed and proceeded to start drumming her bare feet against his chest as he walked up the boy's stairs with her, George close behind. Lee and another boy looked up when they walked in, suddenly grinning when they realised who the twins had kidnapped.

"Spoils of war?"

"She was going to sleep on the couch, little fool that she is." George laughed, collapsing onto his bed with a yawn.

Verity was unceremoniously dumped onto the bed beside his, her hands fumbling wildly to throw the bloody blanket off her only to have Fred yank it off and lean forward.

"Get under the covers Very, I'm freezing." He told her, his voice quiet but authoritative.

"What have you brought me up here for? I was more than happy with the couch." She muttered, but wriggled her way under the duvet like he told her to.

"Yeah, but I wasn't, you're not sleeping on the bloody couch." He slipped under the covers too and wrapped an arm around her, yanking her back to his chest. "Why were you wanting to anyway?"

She tried to stop a yawn and failed, too tired to care anymore. Her watch, firmly fastened around her wrist by this point, was barely visible but she could just make out that it was coming up for twenty to seven; they had about an hour before they had to get up for breakfast.

"Angelina and Alicia started hexing each other, so Katie locked herself in the bathroom and I went downstairs while Hermione stopped them." She muttered, snuggling under the covers a little more so only her head peeked above.

"Seriously? What were they fighting about?" The question came from opposite her, George.

"Fred. But you didn't hear it from me and you're not going to repeat it." Her voice was muffled, drenched in sleep.

She didn't hear Fred's shocked exclamation followed by a cocky retort, nor did she hear George laugh at the whole idea, Verity was quite knackered. When someone's alarm went off an hour later she found it very difficult to open her eyes and even more so to find the courage to get out of bed. The fact that Fred's arm was still locked around her waist didn't help her, it took several jabs in his ribs to make him wake up and let go long enough for her to slip out from under the covers. Luckily, Angelina had already left the dorm when she ventured back in, and Alicia was just leaving too, giving her the opportunity to dive into the shower before Katie woke up. After having the quickest shower of her life, due to the hot water running out, she flung her uniform on, grabbed her bag and ran down the stairs while twisting her hair up. Stabbing a spare quill through the messy bun to keep her wet hair from dripping down her back, she waited anxiously for the boys to make an appearance, not wanting to be there by herself if one of the girls returned. She was in luck, only a minute or so later Lee materialised with his dreadlocks in disarray, Fred, George and the unknown boy from before hot on his heels. No one said anything as they left until they neared the Great Hall, the strange boy giving her a brief smile and holding out his hand.

"Hey, I'm Kenneth Towler, sorry I didn't say hi earlier this morning."

"Verity Stone, and no problem, I don't really blame you." Returning the smile, she shook his hand and took a seat at the Gryffindor table.

Alicia was nowhere to be seen but Angelina looked up with an embarrassed smile, turning red when Fred sat next to her.

"Verity, I'm so sorry. You shouldn't have had to separate me and Alicia this morning, I didn't mean to wake you up." The Captain rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

"I thought you said Hermione stopped the fight?" George asked, taking a mouthful of sausage.

"Hermione? No, it was Verity, she flung a Relashio hex at us. Just in time too, I would have hated to see McGonagall's face if Alicia had finished that Reductor Curse." Angelina shuddered and drained her goblet of orange juice.

The boys turned to stare at Verity who was pretending to be avidly fascinated with how much of her hot chocolate drenched croissant she could cram in her mouth at once, apparently quite a bit as she muffled something which they assumed meant that she couldn't talk.

"Angelina, what were you doing fighting at six in the morning anyway?" Lee cocked his head to the side, asking the question they all wanted to know the answer to.

The rather gorgeous black girl blushed again, clearly embarrassed by the whole thing. But they were not going to take no for an answer, Fred had taken her bag and was holding her captive by not letting her have it back.

"Alright, I got up for the bathroom and Alicia thought I was going to spend forever in there, so she-"

"Hang on, she thought you were getting up at six to get ready?" Lee spluttered into his tea.

"It's a common occurrence amongst girls." Shrugged Verity who was now onto her sweet coffee and bread. "They got up at five in Beauxbatons."

"Yeah, it's standard practice. Anyway..." Angelina nodded and carried on. "Alicia started yelling and then I got pissed so I yelled back. Basically, one of us mentioned yesterday, I can't remember who, and it all took off again. I'm really sorry. Took me forever to get Katie out of the bathroom afterwards."

"You girls are really weird, you know that?"

The two girls rolled their eyes, Verity chucked the remains of her bread roll at Lee in retaliation but George caught her right hand before she took her goblet again. His eyes narrowed, taking in the reddened skin and gently rubbing his thumb over it. With a wince, she yanked it out of his grip and glared at him.

"What did you do to your hand Very?" He was quite serious, his eyes told it all.

"Burnt it this morning, someone had left a heating charm on the towel rail in the bathroom." The lie rolled off her tongue with ease, it was one thing she was particularly good at.

No more was said on the subject but George continued to watch her throughout breakfast and Charms, Tuesdays were going to be good with Professor Flitwick to start the day. It wasn't until Lunchtime that she had a chance to head back to the common room, her head hurting from all the warnings about N.E.W.T's. Settling into one of the amazingly squishy armchairs, she took her Potions homework from her bag and began to write the essay Professor Snape had demanded. Forty minutes later and she was still half a foot from the required three feet length required, her head was aching even more than before and now her neck was aching abominably. Below her, sitting at her feet, Fred finished off the essay with a flourish, quite happy with the amount of waffling he had managed to fit into it. Looking around first to make sure that no one other than his twin and Verity were watching, he dug into his pocket and threw something which looked very much like a muggle Pear Drop, half yellow and half pink, at George. The other boy looked up with a grin and wiggled his eyebrows at Verity who immediately grew both suspicious and afraid.

"What...I'm not eating that."

"Why not? It's market research." Fred tilted his head back to grin at her as well, confirming her fears.

"What is it? One of your new sweets that you were talking about on the train?" She asked, still wary.

"You remember that? I'll have to bear that in mind. But yes, it is and no it won't hurt you, we've got all the kinks out of it now...haven't we George."

"Most definitely, these ones are ready for sale. We just need to test them out on a girl to see if there are no side effects."

Verity frowned for a moment but quickly conceded, handing her parchment over to Fred who proceeded to scribble down the remaining amount for her in a Copy Me Quick quill to match her handwriting. Catching the sweet as George chucked it over, she got to her feet and took a deep breath.

"If this makes me vomit, break out in spots or pass wind I will kick both of your arses into next Monday. Understand?" She was greeted by identical nods

Without further ado, she popped the sweet in her mouth, nodding at the taste of cherries. Then the world went black. When she awoke, she was lying on the sofa with George kneeling beside her, a large grin on his face. How had she got onto the sofa?

"What was that? And what happened?"

"Fainting Fancy. You passed out like someone clocked you one with a beater's bat." She levelled a flat look at him. "Hey, I caught you and laid you down didn't I?"

"I suppose. It worked alright then? No spots or vomit?"

"Not a single fart." She aimed a smack at Fred for that one but he ducked out of the way.

"Fine. I admit it was rather ace. Liked the cherry flavour too."

"So you like cherries eh? It changes for each person depending on their favourite." George yawned, sitting back against the sofa.

"What's yours?"

"Passionfruit." They both replied. "Because we're just that sexy you know." Fred winked.

The cushion missed him by millimetres but his returning blow smacked her square in the face. Not wanting to be outdone George threw his own, knocking the wind from his twin. As the bedlam ensued, Verity couldn't help but grin, forgetting her aches for the time being. If this was what it was like to have brothers then Ginny Weasley was a very lucky girl.

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A/N: two chapters in one day! Go me! I tried to post links to the pictures I had for the story but it seems like the site is being rather petulant and won't put the whole link up. A shame really but if you want to see them just drop me a private message and I'll send you the links.

Coming up: Keeper tryouts, another Umbridge mess and a hot pink Peeves?

**Reviews! **Pretty please? I did two chapters in one day? Doesn't that deserve a reward? I appreciate criticism, so please be honest.


	7. Pink Poltergeists

**DISCLAIMER: I don't have any rights to the characters other than the ones that are quite obviously not canon. **

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Chapter Seven: Pink Poltergeists

It was Friday, and although Potions was her first class, Verity thought it was the best Friday timetable she had ever seen. Snape was followed by McGonagall and then Flitwick, finally finishing the day with a double free period; bliss. It was also the day for all Gryffindors to try out for the position of Keeper on the Quidditch team, which was why she was sitting on the bleachers again along with the general population of the Gryffindor Tower after lessons had finished. The rain lashed down on them with relentless enthusiasm while the wind whistled through every hole in her winter coat, chilling her to the bone. She was sure her lips were starting to turn blue and wasn't even going to think about her hair. But if she felt bad then surely the team felt worse, true they wore the warm robes of the team colours but they were barely clinging onto the dripping brooms, occasionally a scream coming from one of the girls as a Bludger whooshed past them. Harry was nowhere to be seen, stuck in detention for the fourth day in a row with Umbridge, Verity shuddered at the prospect of what his hand now looked like.

Her vision promptly went black. Struggling with something that had fell on her head, obscuring her eyes, the girl heard laughing and yanked the material off her. Lee Jordan sat down beside her, swathed in a very cosy looking blue jumper with a large F on the chest which made her somewhat jealous until she realised the thing he had thrown at her was another jumper only this one had a G on it. Pulling her coat off, she quickly shrugged on the jumper, which was far too big, and threw her coat back on again before she got too wet. The warmth hit her almost immediately, the jumper stopping the wind from rushing through her thin school shirt beneath.

"You stole the twin's jumpers?" Her teeth chattered noisily as she scooted over to huddle under the transparent, domed umbrella that Lee held above him, not caring that it made them look like they were trapped in an upside-down fish bowl.

"Borrowed. Do it all the time, they don't mind as long as they get them back later. Their mum makes the whole family one every Christmas, she's wicked is Mrs Weasley." Lee grinned back, clutching the brolly handle tightly so it didn't blow away.

"Fair enough. Perfect timing by the way, I thought I was going to have to go to the Hospital Wing with hypothermia."

Lee laughed loudly and shook his head, sodden dreadlocks flying around him much like a dog. Verity spluttered as they hit her face and aimed a punch at his arm as she laughed too, having a much better time now that the school commentator was here to explain the try-outs to her. So far the participants had been rubbish according to Lee, no one worth their salt but it was going to be hard to replace Oliver Wood, she gathered he had been quite the player. Her companion gasped as the last group of five trooped on the pitch, his finger pointing out a gangly boy with a shock of wet red hair.

"Ron? Ron's trying out? Can he even play?" He burst out, and it seemed like a few others were thinking the same thing as the bleachers started humming with low mutters.

Poor Ron had turned bright red; though it was a vast improvement on the sickly green he had been before, Verity didn't think it was making him feel any better. Why was everyone being so negative? They should be sticking together as a House and cheering him on. Ducking out from under the umbrella, she stood up on the bleachers and yelled loudly so everyone nearby could hear.

"GO ON RON! YOU CAN DO IT!"

She wasn't sure why she wanted him to get the position but something in his defeated expression tugged at her heartstrings, always the sidekick and younger brother, the poor guy had never had anything to be truly proud of. Hermione quickly followed suit and began to yell at the top of her lungs, her books falling off the bench unseen. The transformation in the boy was amazing, suddenly he was looking far more confident and even had a swagger in his walk. The group trial went brilliantly after that, well, for Ron anyway, as the wind eased off for a few moments to let him see enough to save four of the five shots. No one else managed above three. The crowd went wild, the other team members landing to pick him up and fling the new Keeper on their shoulders; Ron beamed triumphantly.

The party was mental! Dr Filibuster's no-heat, wet-start fireworks were whizzing their way around the room, bursting into stars against the ceiling, and there were too many bottles of butterbeer to count. Verity collapsed on one of the sofas but was only able to rest for a moment before she felt a weight on either side of her, quickly followed by someone ruffling her hair.

"Very! How very, very good to see you!" Grinned George.

"So very good Very!" Chimed Fred.

Verity groaned and smacked each of them with the cushion in her hands, or rather she hit George. Fred had seen the blow coming and instead of taking it like a man he had made a beeline for her ribs, mercilessly tickling her into submission. Her screams went unheard as the music boomed over the room, but Angelina looked over and started to laugh at the situation.

"So Stone, is my jumper comfy?" George asked as his twin eventually let the gasping girl go.

"...Y-y-yes...Merlin I hate...you two...let me up..." She uttered between gulps of air, grabbing Fred's ear to drag herself up much to his dismay.

"Oye! Gerroff you imp!" But he soon shut up when she grinned and pressed her lips to his cheek to placate him. "That's more like it. Another for the lips Very."

"In your dreams Fred. I'm off to get another drink." She muttered while getting to her feet with some difficulty.

"You may have a problem there, we're out of butterbeer." Fred yawned, propping his legs up in the space she had just vacated.

With a sigh, she turned back around and placed a hand on her hip. But before she could say anything, George got up and wrapped an arm around her shoulders with a grin.

"We'll get some more from the kitchens, come on."

Verity stuck her tongue out at Fred as they went to the portrait hole, stepping out into the dark hallways of Hogwarts. It was only then that she realised that they weren't supposed to be out of the common room at this time of night, if they got caught then they would find themselves in detention quicker than they could say Quidditch. As if sensing her thought, George took his arm off her shoulder and snaked it around her waist, dragging her against his side. He then proceeded to lighten the mood by telling her all about his family, and what a big family they were! Six brothers and one sister, she was already feeling sorry for their mum and she didn't even know the woman. Bill and Charlie sounded pretty cool but she was not too fond of Percy, though by the sound of it neither was George. Of course, she already knew Ron and Ginny she had met a few times, a nice girl with plenty of backbone. It made her a little wistful.

"What about you then? You've mentioned your mum a couple of times but hardly mention your old man."

"Not much to say about him to be honest." She sighed, snuggling against him as they walked, the night air being colder than she had first assumed. "Mum always changed the subject when I brought him up, probably because she didn't want to be reminded it all."

"I'm sorry. They divorced?" His tone was sincere.

"Nah, they were never married. Met here at school and apparently it was a whirlwind romance, until He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named started crashing around that is." Verity looked straight ahead into the shadows. "My dad's in Azkaban...for murder..."

George's eyes snapped to her, wide with shock, he had not expected _that_. But the girl he had his arm around looked far from impressed with her situation, her face had fallen into a vision of helplessness. Stopping right in the middle of the corridor, where Filch or even Umbridge could find them, he dragged her against his chest in a bear hug. Verity stumbled with the quick action but gripped his jumper tightly until he let her go a moment later.

"Bad things happen to good people Very...you shouldn't beat yourself up about it."

"I know. I just can't help but think what it could have been like you know? It doesn't matter anyway, Mum moved us to France when I was two and that was it. Dad's family aren't exactly the nicest sort of Wizard, if you get what I mean." She spat the last bit out, remembering her Mother's descriptions of her Grandmother with bitter recollection.

They said no more until they reached a corridor lined with paintings of food, each one more sumptuous than the next...except for one. George paused beside the image of a fruit bowl and looked around to make sure no one else was watching before beckoning Verity closer. Raising his finger to the pear, he looked as though he was about to, dare she say, tickle the pear? But before his finger could touch the canvas there was the unmistakable sound of footsteps coming down the hall, and with nowhere to go they both knew they were done for.

"Fred Weasley! You shouldn't be out here, it's after lights out. I'm going to have dock points from you and your girlfriend." A rather pompous looking boy walked forward, his wand lighting up the corridor.

"I'm George, Ernie." He sighed as the Hufflepuff prefect came up to them.

"Well, George then. You know the rules. Ten points each from Gryffindor...you are Gryffindor aren't you?" Ernie narrowed his eyes at Verity, trying to place who she was.

"Yes. But are you seriously going to dock us points for something as trivial as this? It's not as though we were hurting anyone." She ventured, giving him a winning smile.

Ernie Macmillan huffed and crossed his arms in defiance of her statement, his demeanour clearly stating that he would not sway from his decision. As if it couldn't get any worse there was a sudden cackling noise and something white swooped in above them...Peeves. He was grinning wickedly as he pointed to George with a shaking finger.

"Ooh! You've angered the Puff Weasley!" He whooshed around their heads again, making them all duck as he began to sing in a loud voice. "Oh Weasley, you worm! You never will learn! But Peevesy knows better and now will go get her! Detention for you and your new girlfriend too!"

He turned in mid-air and began to fly off, bouncing off the walls as he kicked the suits of armour into a cacophony. Before he could turn the corner to disappear out of sight Verity grabbed her wand and delivered a swift swish in his direction.

"COLOVARIA ARROSA!" She yelled, Peeves immediately spinning around to see what was happening.

The poltergeist was hit in the face by the charm and fell backwards through the wall with a yelp. Ernie promptly turned purple in the face and brandished his finger at the girl, huffing so much that she wondered if he had practised by listening to the Hogwart's Express. George grabbed his finger and bent it backwards until he backed off, his eyes rather grim as he took Verity's hand in his free one.

"Don't you dare point your finger at-"

"_Hem hem!_ What is going on here? Hmm?"

Verity's blood turned to ice as the three of them slowly spun to find Professor Umbridge standing behind them with her sickeningly sweet smile plastered on her face. Ernie puffed out his chest and barged past the two Gryffindors to stand before her with a superior look on _his_ chubby face.

"I found them wandering after lights out Professor and have just docked them ten points each."

"Thank you, you may go back to your common room now." She smiled, waiting for the Hufflepuff to take the hint and leave, which he did after a moment. "But you two. Seventh Years should know better than this. And Miss Stone, I would have thought your last detention would serve as a warning but apparently you like to think you are above the rules. That just won't do."

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME! CHANGE ME BACK!" A voice roared above them.

Jumping at the sudden noise, they all looked up and gasped at the poltergeist fuming in the air. Umbridge's jaw dropped as she took in the sight of the now hot pink ghost, he matched her fluffy dressing gown perfectly. Verity started grinning despite herself and felt George squeeze her hand as he crowed with laughter.

"Go away you ghoul! Away now. Go haunt someone else. Shoo!" Umbridge waved her hands in an offhand fashion, receiving a middle finger for her efforts before Peeves disappeared off down the corridor again. "Where was I? Oh yes, detention."

"But Professor! We were just-" Verity was cut off again.

"Answering back is very rude Miss Stone, we need to work on your manners as well as deterring your criminal activities. Both yourself and Mr Weasley will present yourselves in my office tomorrow evening at six o'clock sharp. I will not tolerate such tardiness. Now, return to your common room this instant." She waved her wand at the students, an unseen force ripping them apart from one another. "And no holding hands, this is an academy of learning not canoodling."

George bit his tongue and swept the woman a stiff bow, waiting for Verity to start walking back to the tower. Only once they were completely out of sight and earshot did he take her hand again, muttering as he did so.

"What an evil troll! Fred's going to do his nut in, he wanted to be the first to land a detention."

"I think Harry beat him in that one, remember?" She sighed, not looking forward to another session of hand slicing.

"And you. Beaten by a girl...we're losing our touch." He grinned, shoving her gently.

"You're just not used to competition. Besides..." She pushed him back with a wicked smile. "I've only been here a week, imagine what I can do in a whole term."

"Not on your Nelly!" Cried George and bumped her into a suit of armour with his elbow.

"Ooft! George! You overgrown gnome- Hey! Come back here!" She laughed, running after the redhead who was sprinting toward the portrait hole at a surprising speed.

"Last one there is a Blast-Ended Skrewt!"

He ran through the entrance, being held open by Lee, and flattened his twin as he crashed head first into him. Verity appeared a moment later and pointed a finger at the bickering twosome in a dramatic fashion, Lee currently writhing with mirth on the ground behind her.

"I win!" She declared loudly and jumped on the sofa to stand tall with her nose in the air.

"What? I got back first!" George tackled her, the two of them falling backwards off the couch and onto the floor with a very heavy thud.

"You idiot! I won because I didn't knock Fred over." Her voice was muffled seeing as he was lying on top of her and her face was obscured by her long hair.

Fred, overhearing his name and wondering what on earth was going on, walked over and yanked his brother of Verity. She sat up with a dazed expression, shaking her curls out of her face and blinking up at the two of them.

"I obviously missed something."

"Why would you think that Fred?" Her head hurt now thanks to the unforgiving flagstones.

"Well, you don't have the butterbeer you went for and George looks like he's going to wet himself if he doesn't spit out whatever it is that happened."

George grinned and stood up straight, clearing his throat loudly. Verity just groaned and fell back onto the floor, her eyes closing while she waited for the stars in her vision to disappear.

"We have detention tomorrow." He proclaimed proudly, revelling in the look of horror that passed over his brother's face.

"What? How'd you get one without me?"

"Well, we were rumbled by that stuck up Puff prefect who was then sent on his way by Umbridge. That woman needs to remove her wand from her arse sometime soon."

Verity snorted in amusement, finally struggling to her feet and trying to shake her curls out of her face again with no difference. Fred looked over her in disbelief.

"You got a detention _again?_ What did you do _this_ time? Turn her cardi into green polka dots?"

"Close Fred." George wrapped an arm around his twin's shoulder. "She turned Peeves pink."

Lee stopped laughing, his eyes widening in complete shock, mirrored by Fred's own actions. The girl of the group merely shrugged and sat on the back of the couch, her feet dangling in mid-air.

"George...?"

"Yes Fred?"

"I think we're in trouble..."

"You have no idea mate...we're completely screwed."

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A/N: So! One of Verity's secrets is revealed! Poor thing. But she is definitely showing her true colours now...or rather Peeves's true colours XD Hope I didn't disappoint.

Coming up: Sirius makes an appearance in the fire, Verity comes over all faint and a pink Malfoy!

**Keely Matthews: **What are you like lol! Well only one chapter tonight so you won't get mixed up.

**Angel2: **hope you liked it!

**Skipperdoodle:** thank you so very much!


	8. Headless Headaches

**DISCLAIMER: I don't have any rights to the characters other than the ones that are quite obviously not canon. **

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Chapter Eight: Headless Headaches

The first offical team practice of the term had started, though this time the sun had come out to shine upon the team. Verity was sat in the stands with Lee again, but they weren't the only ones, a handful of Slytherins were pushing their way to the front. A tall blond boy was leading them, and she couldn't help but think he looked like the sort of sneaky slimeball that wouldn't be out of place in Knockturn Alley. Giving Lee a nudge in the ribs, she leaned over and whispered.

"Who's that? And why are they at a Gryffindor practice?"

"Malfoy, a troll if I ever saw one. I bet they're here to cause trouble, they like to do that." He muttered back as Malfoy walked in front of them to lean against the railings.

"So, going to cheer on Weasel are we Jordan?" The blonde boy turned and smirked at the two of them, his eyes glancing over Verity for a moment before snapping back to her in shock. "Who are you?"

"None of your business, now bugger off." She replied, a sweet smile much like Umbridge's trademark on her face.

"You mean to tell me that Gryffindor got a new one too? You Jordan's new girlfriend then?"

Verity scowled at him, sliding her wand out of her boot but Lee grabbed her hand and shook his head. Why did they keep asking if she was one of their girlfriends? Were girls not allowed to be mates with the boys in this school? With a shrug of her shoulder, she knocked Lee's hand off and stood up, walking right up to Malfoy so she stood mere centimetres from the Slytherin. He was at least a head and a half taller than her, so she knew she must look slightly ridiculous but her eyes remained hard as she poked his chest with a long fingernail.

"I said...get lost. Unless you want to end up like Peeves did." She glowered.

"Peeves? You mean turning me pink? If you can't even manage to land yourself in a decent house then I doubt you'll be able to pull that one off." He laughed, his posse joining in before beginning to chant "_Gryffindor are losers!_".

"I'm warning you Malfoy! Go away!" Above them the practice had started, and already Ron had dropped the Quaffle much to the amusement of the snakes.

"Make me Blood Traitor." He sneered at her, shoving the girl away from him before he turned back to the railing.

She faced a choice; ignore the insult or risk the wrath of another professor punishing her, for she was sure the little maggot would run off and blab. Something was happening above them as Fred and George were clustering around Katie with concern, Angelina yelling something at them.

"What a laugh. This team couldn't be more pathetic, I mean who would bother putting a flying charm on that mouldy old log Weasel is flying?"

Verity closed her eyes, her fingers gripping her wand so tight that her knuckles turned white. She had warned him, she had no choice now. Taking a step back so she wasn't at point blank range, she lowered her voice and muttered the words.

"Colovaria Capillis Arrosa..." The smallest of wicked smirks formed on her lips as she walked back to Lee and sat down with one leg crossed over the other.

Before their very eyes the arrogant twit's hair turned the same hot pink as the poltergeist now found himself, the two of them had to bite their fists to keep from laughing until they composed themselves enough to return their gaze to the team above. It took a minute or two for the boy to realise, his housemates staring in horror at his once platinum locks.

"What _are_ you staring at Crabbe?" He drawled, still looking up at the Gryffindor team who were now all centered around Katie.

"Malfoy! Your hair! It's pink!" He rushed out, pointing so widly that the Gryffindor spectators looked over.

The reaction was immediate. Loud cheering and whistles burst forth from the students, a few of them falling on the floor in silent hysterics. Even the team were looking down and staring, Fred and George a strange shade of green. Malfoy took the mirror that Pansy Parkinson held out and raised it to his face, all colour leaving him as he lowered it once more to stare at Verity. Realising that she may be in a tiny bit of trouble, the girl got to her feet and ran.

"YOU COW! YOU MUDBLOOD LOVER! I'M TELLING SNAPE! I'M TELLING UMBRIDGE! I'M-" His rant stopped midway as a bludger smacked him in the stomach.

"MR WEASLEY! DETENTION!" Roared Professor Snape who was striding across the pitch with his robes billowing behind him like a large, black bat.

Fred whooped with delight and zoomed down to the stands to grab Verity's outstretched hand as she jumped from the top of the railings, swinging her onto the back of his broom. With a hoot, he raced off again, her arms clasped very tight around his waist. It wasn't until they reached the courtyard in front of the Entrance Hall that they stopped, sliding from the broom in a rush of breathless laughter.

"Did you see his face?" Verity gasped.

"That was wicked!" Yelled Fred, grabbing her in his arms and spinning her around.

"Ah, how I do love to see you young ones having fun." A soft voice spoke from behind them.

They both looked over their shoulders to see Professor Dumbledore standing in the doorway, his bright eyes twinkling with mirth. Fred dropped his grip on her waist and grinned sheepishly, leaving Verity to stumble slightly as he let go.

"Oh please, do not stop because I embarrassed you. But I believe Mr Weasley's twin has gone ahead to the Hospital Wing with Miss Bell?" He smiled.

Fred's eyes widened as he grabbed Verity's with one hand and his broom in the other, dragging her into the castle as he yelled over his shoulder.

"Thanks Professor!"

"What is going on?" Verity cried, trying to keep up with Fred's long steps, her boots clattering on the flagstones loudly.

"Katie's nose was hit during practice and started bleeding so I gave her what I thought was the cure end of a Nosebleed Nougat." He told her, running past McGonagall who yelled something inaudible. "But I think it was a Blood Blisterpod. Now she's as white as a sheet and covered in blood. George took her to Madam Pomphrey."

"Oh you idiot! I told you not to make them purple!" She groaned, skidding to a stop outside the Hospital Wing but only for a moment as Fred dragged her inside.

George was sat in a chair beside Katie's bed, the poor girl looking as though she had spilt a bottle of ketchup down herself, it made a grisly picture. Katie managed a small smile and patted the bed beside her, letting Verity sit down with a sigh.

"Want me to hit them Katie? I don't think they'll dodge."

"No, it's okay. George told me it was a mistake, anyone could have made it, especially Fred." The redhead winced at that comment. "But I might go to sleep now, I feel kind of woozy."

"Yeah, sure thing. Just get some rest, Angelina and Alicia might have another showdown later."

Katie groaned at the prospect and shut her eyes, as if trying to block out the very idea. As if sensing her patient was at the end of her tether, Madam Pomphrey bustled over and began to shoo them out of the ward. Seeing as it was a Saturday and the sun was out, the three friends walked back down to the grounds, met in the Entrance Hall by Lee. They weren't sure how many hours they passed, bewitching pebbles to skip merrily across the surface of the Great Lake, Verity gasping as black tentacles reached out to grab them when they hit the fifth skip or so. It was only when the clock chimed five-thirty that the four of them got to their feet and walked back inside, Fred and Lee heading towards the common room while Verity and George trudged to Umbridge's office for their detention.

The light had faded by the time they returned to Gryffindor Tower, both of them silent as they walked beside each other. George was no doubt pissed at the fact that she had warned him of Umbridge's methods only minutes before they reached the door, not that she blamed him but she hadn't found a moment to tell him alone. As they walked inside, they noticed only Ron, Harry and Hermione were still up, gathered around the fire with their homework on their laps. The three of them gave the Seventh Years a quick nod before turning back to their work, obviously far too busy for small talk. Ron's older brother kept his silence as he walked up the stairs to the boy's dorm, leaving Verity to walk up to hers with a heavy heart; he was definitely peeved.

It was already ten o'clock and most people had gone to bed, at least the Seventh Year girls had, they had been up all day trying _not_ to talk to each other with the exception of Katie who was still in the Hospital wing. Verity's hand hurt too much to try pulling her tee shirt off, the words had not faded this time but remained etched on the back of her hand for all to see, a different message this time which was even worse than the last; _I must obey._ She flopped down on her bed, fully clothed and tried to sleep, but the pain made it difficult and she ended up reaching for a book. Even that didn't help, if anything it just reminded her of the stinging as she winced each time she turned the page. The clock read eleven forty-seven, nearly midnight. The next day was Sunday, so she could technically stay up as long as she wanted and no one would give a hoot, who was going to stop her afterall? With a sigh, she slid off the bed and went to the door, padding down the stairs in silence, her bare feet making no noise on the stone. Voices drifted up the stairwell and she recognised the three younger students from before, why were they still up at this time? But wait, there was another voice, an older one...male. She moved even slower, keeping to the shadows as she peeked her head around the wall. They were crouched around the fire, talking to it, if that even made sense. Verity mentally slapped herself, someone must have flooed their head. It was quite common for just sending messages, a little like a telephone call for wizards.

"You should hear Remus talk about her." The man said with a dark tone, he sounded familiar.

"Does Lupin know her?" Harry asked from the fireplace.

Verity clapped her hand over her mouth and spun around so her back was flat against the wall, honey eyes wide in the shadows. This could not be happnening! That voice...both he and Harry mentioning Remus Lupin...her mind reeled with the information. Sirius Black was the head in the fire, she saw him out of the corner of her eye when Hermione shifted slightly. Another voice rang out from near her, in the next stairwell.

"It's just us, don't vanish!" Hissed Fred, George following him with a quick glance into the girl's staircase but missing Verity as she had sunk to the floor.

They all knew him? This was most irregular! How did students befriend a murderer like Sirius Black and get away with it? Surely Umbridge knew. But the small group was talking in hushed yet jovial whispers, an occasional laugh echoing across to her. She wasn't sure when she stood up, but before she knew it she was walking towards them, her face blank as she saw Sirius and caught his eyes. His jaw dropped, the five Gryffindors turning quickly to stare in horror at her, they had been rumbled.

"Uh, Verity! It, um, it's not what it looks like! Just a prank!" Garbled Hermione, trying to block the fire from view.

"...You're alive...?"

Everyone flicked back around to stare at Sirius this time, who had gone a funny shade of pale as he continued to lock eyes with Verity. No one knew what was going on. By this point she was moving around the sofa, standing above them all on very shaky legs.

"I'm alive..." She whispered, the colour draining from her face also.

"Verity..."

It was the last thing she heard before her eyes rolled back in her head and the darkness claimed her. Perhaps when she woke up, this would all be a dream. George dove forward, catching her before she hit the ground, his whole body shaking. Harry turned back to the fireplace but Sirius was gone, the fire already dimming. No one moved. No one said anything. Something very odd had just happened and they weren't sure what. Only Verity knew, and they intended to find out very soon.

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A/N: okay, I hope this wasn't too confusing. I twisted the original storyline a little but I think it fits, let me know if it doesn't. And remember I'm now putting this up as an audiobook on Chirbit too, just click on my homepage link on my profile page if you're interested!

Coming up: Inspections begin and the Hog's Head meeting.

**Keely Matthews:** Here's your update hun.

**Skipperdoodle: **I completely agree with the rating and have now changed it to T just in case, I tend to get a little carried away. As for your question about Very's dad, well you'll just have to wait out and see eh? To quote Fred and George "Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies."

**RuuunItsJasmine: **Love the fangirl scream lol!

**Reviews!** I love hearing from you, it makes me so happy! And if you want to listen to the audio instead then please remember to review on here for me. Thanks!


	9. Musical Melancholy

**DISCLAIMER: I don't have any rights to the characters other than the ones that are quite obviously not canon. **

**Has anyone listened to the audio yet? Let me know what you think! Homepage link on my Profile Page.**

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Chapter 9: Musical Melancholy

The origami bird flew high above the class, twisting through the vaults until it gracefully landed on the desk of a girl sat at the very front, her face screwed up in concentration as she focused on the charm they were meant to be mastering. Verity looked down and scowled, the lime green parchment could only have come from two people. She didn't want to talk to either of them. Pointing her wand at the parchment, she whispered and watched as it burst into blue flames without reading it. Professor Flitwick raised a brow but said nothing, he didn't want to further annoy the girl.

No one knew what had happened between the twins and Verity but they all agreed that it wasn't good, none of them had smiled in days. Fred muttered darkly as his message burned merrily, his brother taking his own anger out on the parrot they were supposed to be casting a Babbling Charm on. The bird squawked loudly and bit him on the nose. Fred didn't have the heart to laugh at him, choosing to flick his ear instead. Angelina's eyes were watching the whole time, her shrewd mind working overtime as she tried to figure out a way to get the three of them talking again. It wouldn't be easy, what with Verity burning or ignoring all attempts at conversation. She leaned closer to the new girl seeing as they shared a desk.

"What happened between you guys?" She whispered.

Verity looked at her with a sigh, her honey brown eyes quickly checking that no one else was listening in, levelling Alicia a flat look. Alicia sniffed and sat back at her desk again, annoyed that the two girls were whispering, no doubt about her.

"Nothing happened. We're fine." She murmured back as Flitwick walked to the other side of the classroom.

"Bollocks. The twins have been trying to talk to you for the last week, you've avoided them like they were Deatheaters."

"Well they should back off." Verity frowned, jabbing her wand at the trilling parrot. "Garrire."

The parrot stopping trilling and began to talk nonsense switching subjects and languages as though it had a nervous disorder. Professor Flitwick clapped his hands in delight, calling out in his squeaky little voice.

"Oh well done Miss Stone! See what she did? Now, Miss Spinnet, let's see you try."

Alicia rolled her eyes and absently swished her wand at her own parrot, clearly bored.

"Garrire." The parrot instantly blew up, feathers flying all over the room while Alicia sat there dumbfounded.

"Ah...not quite. I want three rolls of parchment on the uses and history of the Babbling Charm from everyone who has not managed to successfully master the charm. Class dismissed."

Verity shot out of her seat like someone had lit a firework under her bum, she had already slung her satchel over her shoulder after she had performed the charm and was now the first one out of class. Without turning around, she ploughed through the crowds of students, dodging a falling statue which Peeves had just pushed off a plinth.

"Verity! Verity come back!"

She sped up, ignoring the calls from Fred and George who were now running after her. Ducking around a corner, she grabbed the first door handle she saw and slipped inside, breathing heavily. No one followed her. It had been two weeks since the incident in the common room, since she had fainted after seeing Sirius's head in the fire. The only way to avoid the questions was to avoid the questioners, thus why she was avoiding the twins. Ron and Harry had tried asking her too but had quickly shut up after they had sprouted antlers. The only one who hadn't asked anything was Hermione but Verity knew she was up to something, the younger girl was always watching her and trying to instigate small talk, a ploy which wasn't working.

Turning around, Verity balled her fist and punched the wall in frustration, immediately regretting it as pain rushed up her arm. Cradling her wrist, she finally looked around to see which classroom she was in. There were no benches, only stools, and a lectern beneath the window. This classroom was not well used and for obvious reason. It was full of musical instruments. The ache in her heart lifted a little, the smallest of twinkles appearing in her eye.

"...Wow..." She whispered to the room.

"I'm glad you like it."

She nearly knocked over the guitar she had been running her fingers over, startled by the sudden appearence of her Charms Professor. He was beaming, weaving his way through the stacks of clarinets and bagpipes to reach her side.

"It's not used much, only during the run up for balls and feasts you see. But the Headmaster lets me keep it in case I find a student who likes music, there are fewer and fewer these days." He sighed wistfully, plinking a few keys on the piano.

"Seriously? Who doesn't like music?" Verity was shocked, she couldn't imagine a world without it.

"Oh many people, they believe it is beneath them. Of course, it takes a true artist to make music...you know Miss Stone, a lone instrument may sound beautiful, but an orchestra sounds amazing." He winked at her and began to walk back to the door.

"Professor?" She asked, confused.

"Your friends, they just want to help...don't be so hard on them." He smiled and opened the door, stepping out. "You have my permission to use this room whenever you like. Good day Miss Stone."

She sank onto the stage steps with a sigh, her hands running through her hair as she thought about what he had said. The twins were annoying but she knew they were just worried, perhaps she should find them. Yes, that was what she was going to do. But as she got to her feet she suddenly remembered where they were, it was now the last double period of the week, free period. They would be out practicing on the Quidditch pitch, and it was raining. Well, she would talk to them when they came back in but she was not going to reveal anything about her knowledge of Black, that was staying secret. If anyone found out...

"Oh shut up Verity." She chided herself and settled on the bench, her hands poised above the piano keys.

At first she was slow and not that great, rusty from a Summer without practice, her fingers stumbling on the ivories. After an hour though she was grinning and dancing her hands through old songs with ease, each tune melding into the next. Closing her eyes, she began to play something her Mother had written, softly raising her voice along with the piano. The song had been the lullaby of her childhood, the sound of her Mother playing it late at night when she thought her daughter had been fast asleep. Verity could remember sitting on the stairs in shadow as she watched her cry whilst playing, the haunting melody floating through the house. It was about her Father.

A noise brought her to her senses, her hands halting as she strained to see in the darkness. A figure stood at the door, wand lit and silent; Hermione Granger. How long had she been standing there? The girl was smiling sympathetically, proof that she had been there long enough.

"That was beautiful...did you write it?" She asked, not moving from where she stood.

"My Mother did. W-why are you here?" Her voice quivered, and she had to cough to hide the thick emotion.

"I just heard the piano and wondered who was playing. You've missed dinner you know? Fred and George are worried about you."

Verity gently closed the piano lid and picked up her bag, flicking her hair over her shoulder. That meant they didn't know where she was, so they couldn't have asked Harry to look at the map. She wondered why.

"I'll deal with it, thanks." She murmured and walked past the girl.

"Verity! Wait!" Hermione called and ran after her. "About the other week...the boys shouldn't have pressed you for answers."

"No, they shouldn't have. Are you going to do the same now?" Verity turned to face the other girl, her voice low and dark.

"No. I'm not. But we have to know if you are going to tell anyone about...Snuffles."

"Snuffles? And they thought Milkbottle was funny." She scoffed.

"Well we don't-"

"I'm not going to tell. No one is going to find out, I can promise you that. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go to bed. Good night Hermione."

"Wait! Just one more thing...we're meeting in The Hog's Head tomorrow, if you're interested in actually learning to defend yourself against the Dark Arts then I would be there."

She left the other girl standing in the hall with a curt nod, turning on her heel and starting to run back to the common room, her ballet flats making no noise. There was a freedom in music that she had forgotten, along with the time it seemed. Her stomach rumbled ominously, how could she have missed dinner? Her mind played with what Hermione had said about the Dark Arts, it was a good idea seeing as Umbridge was utterly useless. She would ask the twins. Giving the password to the Fat Lady, she stepped through the portrait hole and was ambushed.

"Where the bloody hell have you been?" Fred yelled, crushing her in an immense hug.

"We were worried sick! Thought the Slytherins had got you!" George cried, squishing her against him as he made the hug into a group one.

"Can't breathe!" She gasped, the boys quickly letting her go.

"Sorry, but like George said, we were worried. You missed practice and dinner."

"I know, I lost track of the time." Her stomach rumbled again much to her embarrassment.

"We look the liberty of getting you food, reckon you could use some fattening up." George grinned and took her hand, leading her to the sofa before the fire.

She gasped at the sight laid on the hearth rug, her eyes wide and tummy growling loudly. They had raided the kitchens good this time, there was a veritable feast on the floor, too much for one person.

"You skipped dinner, so we went looking for you and missed it too." He told her, hugging her tightly while Fred popped open the butterbeers.

"You did what? Guys, you shouldn't have. I'm sorry for making you worry."

She was beyond shocked. At least they looked as embarrassed as she did, dark blushes staining both their faces. As they sat down, she leaned over and kissed Fred's cheek, then George's. The picnic was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her, and it made her feel more than a little guilty. They could have asked Harry to find her but she realised that they had been torn between her safety and her personal space. The thought made her smile warmly as she tucked into dinner.

"So, you don't need to tell us where you were but let us know when you'll be back next time. George was wetting himself, he was that worried." Fred spoke through a mouthful of pork pie.

"As opposed to you demanding to get into the Girl's dorm to triple check? Shut up Fred." George chucked a custard cream at his twin.

"Guys, guys! Quit being idiots, you'll ruin a nice moment. As for where I was..." She rolled her eyes at the two of them. "I was in the music room, Flitwick let me practice in there."

They both stopped eating and exchanged smirks with one another. Verity watched with apprehension.

"So you're musical? Knew you had to have a hobby outside of pranking. What do you play?"

"A few different things...why'd you want to know Fred?" She leaned back against the sofa, wondering where he was going with this.

"There's a piano at Headquarters." He said, nonchalently.

"Headquarters? What Headquarters?" Her interest was piqued now.

George threw a cushion at his brother and quickly grinned at Verity who was leaning forward curiously.

"So, heard about that meeting in the Hog's Head then? Should be a good laugh, actually learning how to do stuff for once this year." He laughed, a little forced.

"Uh, yeah...but what Head-"

"It's nothing Very, don't worry about it." Fred smiled, passing her a cupcake.

"...If you say so...how'd the inspections go? Anyone heard?" She sighed, they were going to say nothing further.

"Trelawney's on probation, probably told Umbridge that she was going to have a long life or something." Yawned George.

"Urgh, I hope not." Verity groaned. "Otherwise we'll have to do something about that."

She was glad they were talking again, it had felt so lonely without the boys. Verity made a mental promise to herself, never to fall out with them again, it wasn't worth it. She smiled happily as the two of them began to describe what they would do at the Hog's Head meeting with relish, leaning back into George's outstretched arms to listen to them. Everything was perfect. For now.

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A/N: okay, so this was something of a filler I suppose, sorry! I've hurt my hand a bit with all this shovelling of snow. Anyway, you saw a little more insight into Verity and a slight slip up by Fred but will she act on it? **Don't forget the audio tracks, see the top of the page for details.**

Coming up! The meeting and Educational Degree Number Twenty-Four.

**Skipperdoodle: **O.O Thank you! I take that as a great compliment, I'm trying to get a new chapter up each day.

**Erin: **You'll just have to keep reading eh? ;) Don't worry though, things will eventually heat up, can't rush a good thing.

**Musical FANtasy:** Thank you very much, I don't like slow updaters either so I'm trying to keep out of that trap.

**Urnumber1fan:** Glad you're liking the mystery, it will all be revealed in time, along with whether or not Very likes one of the twins as more than friends.

**Keely Matthews: **Here's your tomorrow update lol

**Reviews! **Keep them coming guys! I'll mention each one of you until there are too many for one page lol.


	10. Murdering Mum

**DISCLAIMER: I don't have any rights to the characters other than the ones that are quite obviously not canon. **

**Can I point out that I have the best reviewers in the world? Really, you guys are awesome!**

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Chapter 10: Murdering Mum

It was the first Hogsmeade weekend, and the day dawned on a crisp, cold October morning with blue skies and bright sunshine. There had been a snowstorm overnight and now the landscape was pure white, making a rather pretty picture. Professor McGonagall stood at the front of the crowd forming in the school courtyard, taking in the permission slips from each student that passed her, her beady eyes keeping a very close eye on the troublemakers like Lee and the twins who were already smirking wickedly. Verity shook her head in amusement and walked up to the Deputy Headmistress with George in tow, both of their permission slips in her hand for safe keeping. Handing them over, they turned to walk away and join their friends, but McGonagall quickly called them back.

"Miss Stone, this permission slip is not signed. I'm afraid you cannot go to Hogsmeade without a signature from a parent or guardian, I'm sorry." She told the girl with a sigh.

Verity looked at her in surprise, wondering why this was such a shock to the woman and narrowed her eyes. Surely she had not forgotten? Not when her situation was what it was.

"Professor…I…couldn't get it signed..." She spoke slowly, well aware that George was right behind her listening in. "Remember?"

"Oh! Oh, of course. Apologies Miss Stone, it slipped my mind. Please follow Mr Weasley back to the group, you may go."

She grabbed George's gloved hand and yanked, pulling him into the crowd before anyone who had been standing nearby could ask questions. The other two boys were already waiting for them along with Angelina, all of them clad in thick, Winter coats and accessories. Verity had been outside France for Winter before; she and her Mother had always visited her Gran in Edinburgh until the old witch died two years previous, but it didn't mean she was used to the cold coming so early on in the year. That morning she had woken up with chattering teeth and refused to leave her bed until Angelina dragged the blankets off her, something which had earned her a few choice words and a badly aimed Langlock jinx. Now swathed in layer upon layer of clothing, including Fred's Christmas jumper from the previous year and George's scarf, she was feeling far warmer and happier.

"Very, what's going on?" Her companion whispered in her ear, pretending to wrap the very long scarf around her neck one more time.

"Not now, too many people listening in here." She murmured back and squeezed his fingers gently.

Apparently it took them an extra thirty minutes to reach Hogsmeade due to the snow, though she didn't know any different. The quaint village, or town really, was full of bustling witches and wizards all doing their Halloween shopping, bags full of fireworks and pumpkin juice. Verity stopped in the middle of the street and grinned, her face lighting up as she looked directly ahead at one particular shop.

"Zonko's! I didn't know you had one here!" She cried and ran to it, the others laughing loudly as they followed the excited girl.

"Where'd you think we get our stuff from? Flourish and Blotts?" Fred nudged her none to gently in a teasing fashion.

She was too excited to answer back, her hands already picking out product after product and placing them in her basket. Dungbombs, stink pellets, and explosive silly string all tipped onto the counter before Fred and George could catch up, galleons passing hands as they ran up behind her. After a month without any equipment she was finally back in business, and her first target was a Slytherin goon called Montague. The overgrown ape had cornered her the previous week and tried to force her into drinking Venomous Tentacula Juice, but she had escaped when Ginny walked around the corner and saw what was going on. Verity had never seen such an impressive Bat-Bogey Hex. Nothing had happened since but she was not one to let others fight her wars for her, she would deal with Montague herself.

Lee soon drifted off towards the sporting shop with Angelina, a small branch of Quality Quidditch Supplies, both of them deep in a conversation about that year's current Nimbus model. Fred snatched Verity's shopping bag out of her hand and shoved it in his own, ignoring her protests. With a huff, she began to walk on ahead but she was no match for their long legs and was soon crushed between them again, a hand in each of theirs. She couldn't stay annoyed at them for long and they were laughing loudly when they walked into the Hog's Head after lunch, oblivious to the tension in the room. Fred leaned over the bar and ordered Butterbeers for everyone, Verity already sliding a galleon and two sickles over for the three of them. George shook his head and forced the money back into her hand before putting his own money down, she was still arguing with him when they sat down. Hermione called order and everyone fell silent.

"You all know why we're here. We need a teacher, a proper teacher." She spoke loud enough for everyone in the group to hear but kept looking around at the other patrons in case they were Umbridge's spies. "One who's had real experience defending themselves against the Dark Arts."

"Why?" A blond boy sneered.

"Why. Because You-Know-Who's back, you tosspot." Ron spluttered.

"Only cause he said." He nodded toward Harry.

"Dumbledore says so too." Hermione chided.

"Yeah, only cause he said. Where's the proof?" The boy spoke again, they had finally recognised him as Zacharias Smith, a Hufflepuff Fifth year.

The meeting went to shambles after that, most trying to talk above each other and hurling insults when ignored. Verity squirmed uneasily in her chair and put her hands over her ears to block out the noise. Someone was yelling about a boy named Cedric and how Voldemort had killed him while a pretty Asian girl looked on, near to tears.

"No one saw Cedric die except you!" Shouted someone from the back. "We have no proof that the Death Eaters are out there, let alone You-Know-Who!"

"ENOUGH!" Verity yelled, the conversation dying as they all turned to look at the new girl. "Harry is telling the truth."

"How would you know? You've only just moved here, you weren't there!" Lavender Brown called out, looking rather smug for knowing that.

"Because I _was_ there." Verity answered, getting to her feet as a hush descended. "I was part of the Beauxbatons selection, even put my name in the goblet."

"Hang on, you were?" Fred and George asked in unison.

"Yes, I put my name in after Fleur. But that's not the point. I know that he is speaking the truth...the Death Eaters killed my Mother..."

She slowly sat back down, sitting on her hands which were shaking violently. No one spoke for a moment, too shocked to speak. Then Zacharias spoke up again in a cocky voice.

"How'd you know they were Death Eaters? Were you there too?" He sneered.

"Yes." She whispered. "I was hiding in the cupboard..."

Her eyes shone brightly with unshed tears as she got up and walked towards the door, stopping only to sign the piece of parchment which lay on the table before the three leaders. Signing her name in a shaky fashion, she nodded and spoke quite clearly to Harry.

"I'll do anything to stop someone going through what we have...there are already too many children without parents." With that, she walked out of the pub.

She was halfway through the wood which led back to Hogwarts when they caught up with her, her bags in their hands as she had forgotten all about them in her rush to get out of the room. Fred took her hand and brought her to him, crushing her to his chest as he held her close, tucking her head under his chin in a protective manner. George was a few strides behind looking murderous, he was clutching his wand for some reason and it was smoking. They said nothing but continued up the leafy path, Verity huddled against Fred as his brother slung the bags over his shoulder. Professor McGonagall looked a little curious as to why they were back so early and in such a state but was ignored as the twins kept walking, paying no attention to anyone until they were back in the Common Room. Only then did they push the girl onto the couch and sit on either side, taking a hand each.

"Did you get him George?" Fred asked in a quiet voice, rubbing Verity's back gently.

"Oh yes." George muttered dangerously. "He won't be so full of himself from now on."

Verity looked up at the second boy, her brown eyes wet but strong. He had obviously hexed the Hufflepuff for making her so uncomfortable that she had had to blurt out that story, the thought behind it made her smile weakly.

"You didn't have to, but thanks." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Hope Umbridge doesn't find out."

"I hope she _does_. You okay Very? We can go back and force feed him some Puking Pastilles." He asked, running his thumb over the back of her hand.

"Don't waste your merchandise. And I'm fine, just never expected to blurt it out like that..."

"We're sorry, if it helps any. Though, we might be able to help a little...this may sound insensitive but did you get a good look at the one that...did it." Fred asked in a low voice, hesitantly voicing the question.

She stiffened slightly under his touch, a shadow passing over her face and her eyes darkening. Oh yes, she knew. Her Mother had pointed him out to her before it all happened, warning her to stay well away.

"Yaxley...don't know how that helps though, he works for the Ministry." She murmured.

Fred looked over at George who nodded and got to his feet, walking over to one of the tables where someone had left a roll of parchment and a quill. Coming back, he sat down and began to write, it was addressed to Arthur Weasley, The Burrow.

"What are you doing? No one is going to believe me, they ruled it as an accident."

"Very, do you remember Fred mentioning Headquarters? Shh, don't repeat, just nod if you do." George looked up from writing and smiled as she nodded. "He meant the Headquarters of The Order of The Phoenix. They're a group who are fighting against-"

"You-Know-Who. Yes, I know, Mum was in it." She replied, her eyes wide.

"Seriously? I didn't know that." He looked shocked, as did Fred.

"She was the French correspondent. It was her job to keep an eye on Beauxbatons, Madame Maxime's right hand I suppose." Verity leaned forward, her expression now steely and determined. "You know where Headquarters is? I want in, my Mum was in it. My Uncle is still in it as far as I know."

Fred looked around to see if there was anyone nearby to overhear but they had the whole Tower to themselves it seemed. Sliding to the floor, he indicated for the three of them to move a little closer and block out their conversation in case anyone did suddenly appear.

"Your Uncle? Who's he then?" He muttered.

"Well, he's not really my Uncle, just a friend of my parents. Remus Lupin." She replied, equally as quiet.

The twins were shocked and it showed as they looked at each other with an incredulous shake of their heads. This was getting more bizarre by the day.

"Lupin? Yeah, we know him, good guy." George was writing again, nearly filling half a roll before ripping off the extra and sealing it. "I need to go and post this before Umbridge does her daily check of the Owlery, last time she-"

"Mr Weasley, I thought you would know better."

They all turned around with pale faces to face Professor McGonagall who was standing with her hands on her hips as she looked down on the three of them. Holding out a hand, she took the letter and read the address, then pocketed it.

"_I_ will send this for you. I'm assuming you have gone and told Miss Stone about the place you were this Summer? No, don't answer, I can tell by your eyes." She sighed in exasperation. "But tell no one else!"

"Professor? Why aren't you punishing us for this? I mean, we just told the secret." Fred gaped, he was so used to her yelling at them it was second nature by now.

"Because Miss Stone deserves to know, in fact, I had just received a letter myself from Remus Lupin asking if she wanted to spend Christmas there. What is your answer Miss Stone? I can send the reply back with Mr Weasley's message."

Verity's jaw dropped in surprise, her big eyes getting even bigger as she thought it over. Christmas with her Uncle, in the Headquarters of the most covert group in Britain, and she got to spend it with the twins as well?

"Most definitely yes, Professor." She smiled, a little nervous.

"Very well." The House Mistress made to turn and leave the Tower but stopped in her tracks. "There has been another Education Degree put up in the Entrance Hall."

"Another? What is it this time? No going to the bathroom unless you have Spattergroit?" George groaned, flopping back on the sofa.

"Very amusing Mr Weasley but no. All Student Organisations, Societies, Teams, Groups, and Clubs are henceforth disbanded. Permission to re-form has to be sought from Professor Umbridge." Verity gasped while the twins merely turned pale. "So please do not antagonise the woman into giving out more detentions, I'm talking to you as well Miss Stone, you have surprised me by getting more than both Mr Weasleys so far. Do not let it continue."

No organisations...no teams...no groups...Defence Against the Dark Arts secret societies were bound to be included in that list. Far from being horrified, the three friends all looked at one another and grinned. Yet another reason to get back at Umbridge, this time though, it would be right under her very nose.

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A/N: well...who saw that coming, eh? Things are starting to roll and it's only going to get better from here!

Coming up! Dumbledore's Army and the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin.

**Keely Matthews:** I hope so too, it's making it a pain to write in my notepad at work lol. And thanks!

**Wetstar: **Thank you very much ^_^

**hikaru909: **I'm trying very hard to keep the Twins true to themselves, they can't be improved further than they are. So thank you, that means a lot.

**TimeToWriteIsHistory:** Hah, I liked that line too, it just seemed to fit.

**Skipperdoodle: **Be convinced all you want, I'm not telling yet XD And don't apologise for Glee, I'm a complete Gleek myself.

**Hobosshinypenny:** I'm so glad you like it! I'm trying to make sure that Verity doesn't come across too wooden and shallow.

**REVIEWS! **You guys truly keep me going! Please keep the reviews coming, it means the world!


	11. Flirting and Fighting

**DISCLAIMER: I don't have any rights to the characters other than the ones that are quite obviously not canon. **

**Not only do I have the most wicked reviewers but they're also the sneakiest! Quit trying to jump ahead in the story, I'm not going to crack! XD Yes, I'm talking about you Skipperdoodle!**

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Chapter 11: Flirting and Fighting

"Well..." Said Harry, slightly nervously as everyone took a seat on the cushions. "This is the place we've found for practice sessions, and you've, uh, obviously found it okay."

"It's fantastic." Said Cho, several other people in the strange room murmuring their agreement.

"It's bizarre..." Said Fred, frowning around at it. "We once hid from Filch in here, remember George? But it was just a broom cupboard then."

George nodded his agreement, looking around at the room with his own frown as they saw all manner of Dark Detectors and books. Sat between them on the floor was Verity, who was staring at a duelling dummy in the far corner of the room, she thought the masked figure looked far too like their enemies but said nothing.

"I think we ought to have a name. It would promote a feeling of team spirit and unity, don't you think?" Hermione said brightly, once everyone had arrived and sat down.

"Can we be the Anti-Umbridge League?" Angelina called, causing Verity to grin wickedly at her tall friend.

"Or, the Ministry of Magic are Morons Group?" Suggested Fred, from his seat next to the laughing Quidditch Captain.

"I was thinking more of a name that didn't tell everybody what we are up to. So we can refer to it safely outside of meetings." Hermione frowned at the Seventh Years, George rolling his eyes in retaliation.

Verity covered her grin with her hand, trying very hard not to laugh at Fred who was pretending to be Hermione and shaking his finger at his twin. He stopped once Angelina nudged him, but turned on her instead, whispering something inaudible in her ear that made her turn scarlet.

"What about the Defence Association?" Called a very pretty Ravenclaw girl, Cho Chang, Verity remembered, their Seeker on the Quidditch team. "We could call it the D.A."

"That sounds like a bunch of middle aged witches discussing anti-intruder jinxes over tea and crumpets." Laughed Verity, crossing her legs into a meditation position but fell over when George blew in her ear.

"Yeah, the D.A's good." Said Ginny. "Only, let's make it stand for Dumbledore's Army, because that's the Ministry's worst fear, isn't it?"

The room burst into agreeable murmurs and laughter at the youngest Weasley's suggestion, her older brothers all grinning at each other proudly. Hermione got to her feet and pinned the list with their names on it to the wall, taking a quill and writing at the top in big letters; Dumbledore's Army. It had begun. Harry told them all how to use the Disarming Charm and they all paired off to practice against each other, predictably the twins were together, leaving Angelina to grab Verity.

"You're with me, let's show those two who is the better pair." She muttered to the shorter girl who grinned in response and shot the boys a wicked smirk.

"I'm game. No holding back, we're in this to win." Verity took her place opposite her friend and held her wand in a defensive stance. "Expel-"

"Expelliarmus!" Yelled Angelina as soon as she saw the other girl's lips starting to move.

Verity's wand flew out of her hand to fly up to hit the ceiling in a shower of green sparks and then fall back on her head. She yelped and began to pat the sparks out, singe marks left on her grey skirt. Meanwhile, the twins were taking it in turns to make Zacharias Smith's wand fly across the room every time he tried to disarm Anthony Goldstein. Harry gave them a look and they stopped, looking rather mischievous.

"Sorry Harry…couldn't resist." George said sheepishly.

Angelina snickered and disarmed Fred while he wasn't watching, the wand flying to hit Verity again who fell down this time as it whacked the back of her head. The tall girl gasped, her hand over her mouth as the brunette got to her feet once more with an evil glint in her eye.

"Who's wand was that?"

"Fred's." Angelina told her before the boys could say anything.

Verity turned and tackled Fred, clinging to his back while she ruffled his hair. Angelina burst into laughter and held onto the nearby bookcase for support, the unfortunate boy grabbing his parasitic pal around the waist to dump her on the floor.

"Expelliarmus!" Cried George, Angelina's wand jerking out of her hand this time.

"Hey! What did I do?"

"Dumped my brother in it." He grinned.

Fred was in charge now, tickling Verity without mercy as she screamed silently, tears rolling down her cheeks. He wasn't letting her up and she was pinned to the floor, all those years of being a Beater had paid off in superb upper body strength. Angelina ran over and tried to pull him off, resulting in Fred falling backwards onto her with a loud 'Ooft!' She groaned, the wind knocked out of her. George was now crying with laughter, wiping his streaming eyes as he crouched beside Verity who was gasping for air on the floor.

"Learnt your lesson?" He asked, simply smiling at the glare she gave him.

"…Never…help me up…" She uttered, clutching the offered hand like a lifeline and stumbling into his grip, her knees shaking.

"Easy there, no need to throw yourself at me Very."

She walloped his right arm, and then shook her hand as a familiar pain shot up it. She really should learn not to hit things that were harder than her, be it a wall or a very tough seventeen year old boy. He grabbed both her hands to keep her from hitting him and leaned forward so their noses were nearly touching. Verity gulped when she saw the dangerous look in his eyes, but kept contact and stared back.

"You have really nice eyes, you know." He whispered, lifting his hand to trace her jaw softly with an index finger.

"...Umm...thanks..." She stammered, wondering why was her heart suddenly louder than before?

"But your hair is a mess." He quickly ran his fingers up through it, ruffling it into a riot of curls.

She immediately cursed and ran after him around the room, not keeping up with his long legs but taking short cuts under outstretched arms and the such like. It was Ron who stopped them, with a shaky Impediment Jinx that sent the two of them sprawling in heap on the floor. It was the end of the lesson. Angelina and Fred walked over, his arm around her waist and her face stained with a blush. Verity's gaze flicked between the two of them and then looked at George with a conspiratorial grin. He quickly wrapped an arm around Verity's waist with a dramatic flourish and yanked her to her feet.

"Well, me and my Lady are off to the common room for some hot beverages and elevenses. Will you and your fine woman be joining us?" He asked Fred in a sniffy tone which reminded Verity of his Percy impression.

"I believe we shall. I do so love these late night conversations of truly intellectual standing. Shall we Angelina?" Fred replying in a similar voice, the two girls trying their upmost to keep straight faces.

Angelina nodded, her mouth quivering as she tried not to laugh, and the two of them led the way back to the Tower. Of course, George and Verity mocked them every step of the way, the two pranksters whispering loudly only to whistle in unison whenever Fred or Angelina turned around. By the time they got back to the common room Fred had his wand out and another impromptu duelling session began much to Hermione's dismay who threw her hands in the air and cried:

"I give up!"

The morning of the Gryffindor and Slytherin match dawned crisp and cold, the surrounding mountains snow-capped. Verity yanked on layers of clothing, borrowing a woollen hat from Angelina and pulling on two pairs of gloves, one of which was fingerless. Her room mates had already gone down to breakfast, all three girls being on the team therefore needing to eat before heading to the stands for their customary pep talk. Unfortunately, it meant that she would be sitting by herself for the match, even Lee would be in the Staff box seeing as he did the commentating. With a sigh, she wrapped George's red and gold scarf around her neck three times and left the Tower. It would be Ron's first match and all of the house were having mixed feelings about his ability, his practices so far had been patchy at best. Something heavy barged into her and she hit the wall hard, biting her lip to keep from crying out, she could taste blood. Graham Montague leered at her, his massive hands slamming against the wall on either side of her head when he leaned forward.

"How about a kiss for luck, Stone?" He sneered, his team mates laughing behind him.

"I'd rather kiss a toilet. Bugger off." She hissed and ducked out from under his arms, starting to walk away.

"A toilet would be cleaner than that Blood Traitor you're going with. Weasley is going down today, I'll make sure his head is used as a Bludger."

Verity turned slowly, pulling her wand out from in amongst the many layers of clothing she wore in her house colours. Narrowing her eyes, she began to walk back to him, the other students backing away from her as they caught sight of the lethal look now crossing her face. Montague fumbled for his wand but froze when she placed hers against his chest, standing up on her tiptoes to try and match his height but still failing by about three inches.

"I don't know which Weasley you're trying to insult seeing as I'm not 'going' with any of them, but they are all better people than you will ever be. Come near me again and I'll curse off something rather important. Understand?" She whispered softly.

"Well, _I _understand Miss Stone." The sickeningly sweet voice piped up from behind her and she looked over to see Professor Umbridge standing there with her wand pointing at her back; Montague grinned and ran off after his team mates. "Now, put the wand away. You know the drill by now, my office tomorrow night at six o'clock, do not be late."

She had no choice but to lower her wand while Umbridge smiled and then followed the Slytherins. Her mood had been punctured in an excellent fashion, something made evident when she kicked a nearby suit of armour so hard that Filch's cat, Mrs Norris, streaked off yowling at the top of her lungs. How did that foul woman know how to make her day go from bad to worse? Muttering to herself, she walked off the Quidditch pitch alone, her hands shoved deep in her pockets.

The match had already started and all the good seats were taken, so she lounged against the stairway exit of the Gryffindor stand for the duration. The players were on good form, but the Slytherins were singing some stupid song about Ron. Her blood began to boil as she made out the words.

_Weasley cannot save a thing,_

_He cannot block a single ring,_

_That's why Slytherins all sing:_

_Weasley is our King._

_Weasley was born in a bin_

_He always lets the Quaffle in_

_That's why Slytherins all sing:_

_Weasley is our King._

_Weasley is our King,_

_Weasley is our King,_

_Weasley will make sure we win_

_Weasley is our King._

No one could stop them, even though Lee was shouting as loud as he could into the megaphone to drown them out. Ron looked pale as he weaved around the rings he was meant to be Keeping, and from what she could tell, he wasn't doing that great either. She was relieved when Harry went into a sudden dive, streaking after a faint glimmer of gold...the Snitch. With an almighty roar, the Gryffindor's rose up out of their seats in a united cheer of victory, she was surprised to see Hermione jump up on her bench and scream with them. Shaking her head with a smile, she turned and ran down the stairs, wanting to meet her friends as they got off the pitch. When she got to the pitch-side team entrance, she stopped, the Slytherin Seeker, Malfoy was talking to the Gryffindors. Frowning, she strained to listen and heard the unmistakable tone of an insult, the blond boy hurling the abuse at Harry and the twins.

"We couldn't fit in useless loser either, for his Father, you know." He drawled.

She saw the twins stiffen halfway through shaking Harry's hand and knew that something was not right. Harry already looked as though he was going to curse Malfoy's face off and Angelina had grabbed Fred's arm, telling him not to listen to the younger boy.

"But you like the Weasley's, don't you Potter? Spend the holidays there and everything, don't you? Can't see how you stand the stink. But I suppose when you've been dragged up by Muggles, even the Weasley's hovel smells okay."

Harry grabbed a hold of George who snarled and tried to lunge for the boy, Fred already struggling under the combined efforts of Angelina, Katie and Alicia. Verity ran out and tackled Ron to the ground before he could fly at the Slytherin, both of them ending up in a muddy puddle on the floor.

"Or perhaps, you can remember what your Mother's house stank like Potter, and Weasley's pigsty reminds you of it." Malfoy laughed.

Verity watched in horror as Harry let go of George and the two of them ran at Malfoy who had turned pale. Harry sunk his fist into the boy's stomach, still holding the Snitch, and George was pounding his face like a Bludger. A whistle was blowing and the crowd was screaming. Ron struggled to get up and join in but Verity remained sat on him, forcing his face against the mud so he could not get into trouble too. She wasn't about to stop the other two, they were well within their rights as far as she was concerned.

"IMPEDIMENTA!" Yelled Madam Hooch.

The Quidditch Mistress and Referee ordered them off to the castle again, they would definitely get a week of detentions from McGonagall for this. Only once Malfoy was off the pitch did Verity let Ron up, holding out a hand to help him.

"Why did you stop me? I could have had the git!" He roared.

"And you would have gotten into trouble!" She sighed.

"Trouble? This coming from you who gets into trouble more often than Fred and George?"

"That's not the point Ron, you'll get it one day. You better get to the castle with Fred, I don't like the look of _that_." She nodded in the direction of a tweed cloaked, toad-faced woman who was half running back to the castle with a huge grin on her ugly face.

Fred turned to look at where she was indicating and swore, shaking Angelina off and sprinting towards the castle, Ron close behind. The girls walked over to Verity, muddy, damp and exhausted. Even Alicia seemed to be lacking the energy to be out rightly nasty at that moment.

"Think they'll all be shoved in detentions?" Angelina asked her in a quiet voice, handing her George's broom.

"No...if that woman has anything to do with it then it will be worse." She replied, taking the broom and gripping it tightly.

"What could be worse than detentions other than being expelled?" Katie gasped.

"I don't know." Verity held up her hand so they could see, the scar, '_I must obey',_ just visible in the light. "But it won't be good...at all."

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A/N: Dun dun DUUUUUN! Or not, you all know what Umbridge does but just pretend it's a cliff hanger XD Hope you liked it though.

Coming up! Banned from Quidditch for life! And an unusual replacement.

**SunshineWitch91: Thank you very much. ^_^**

**Wetstar: Never mentioned if Sirius was her dad or that she hated him. You'll just have to see eh? **

**Samacajama: I'm trying to stay true to their excellent characters, thanks!**

**Keely Matthews: Indeed he is, as you'll discover soon enough.**

**Skipperdoodle: XD I'm saying nothing! You cannot make me talk! I love Lupin though, he's such a nice, if a little misunderstood, man.**

**Gaia v: **You read it all in one go? Wow! Thank you!

**REVIEWS!** I log on every morning before work to see if you guys have left me any critique and it puts me in an awesome mood for the rest of the day! Please keep it up and keep me smiling! A million thanks!


	12. Attack!

**DISCLAIMER: I don't have any rights to the characters other than the ones that are quite obviously not canon. **

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Chapter 12: Attack!

"Banned?" Said Angelina in a hollow voice late that evening in the common room. "No Seeker and no Beaters? What on earth are we going to do?"

The whole room was silent, the Gryffindors wondering exactly the same thing as their Captain. Some of them were sat stony-faced like the twins and Lee, while Seamus and others had begun to silently fume, little Dennis Creavey had completely lost his head and was crying. The team were slumped around the fire, apart from Ron who was missing, all looking desolate and glum. Alicia was outraged, her temper flaring as she spoke up.

"Banning Fred when he didn't even do anything!"

"It's not my fault I didn't." Said Fred, with a very ugly look on his face. "I would have pounded the little scumbag to a pulp if you three hadn't been holding me back."

"Yeah, it didn't make much difference did it?" George muttered. "Surprised she didn't go after Ron, unless she couldn't see him under Verity's bum. Speaking of Ron and Verity, where are they?"

No one knew, neither had been seen since Ron had gone to change and Verity had disappeared from the common room to fetch some drinks. Katie and Angelina got to their feet, ready to head to bed when the portrait swung open and Dennis's brother, Colin, ran in, panting.

"...Slytherins...got Parvarti...been taken to the...Hospital Wing..." He uttered between gasps. "Bad losers..."

Everyone turned to stare at the small boy, his camera tangled around his neck from running so fast, no doubt to avoid Parvarti's fate. The Fifth Years slowly got to their feet, Dean Thomas walking towards the boy with a shocked look on his face.

"Is she alright?" He asked, only to receive a shrug of the shoulders from Colin. "They're hexing us just because we won? Haven't we been through enough tonight?

There was a loud yell as Lavender Brown stumbled in, her mass of curls in disarray and her face ashen. Stopping a moment to catch her breath she waved her hand to get the attention of everyone, unaware that she already had it.

"The Slytherins are attacking any Gryffindor out there on their own, not that there should be many of us." She added the last bit with a wry grimace. "They just got Kenneth Towler with a Stinging Hex to the face!"

By this point the room was buzzing, almost everyone murmuring something while friends of Kenneth, like Lee and Alicia, were running out of the room. Angelina was staring at Lavender but it was Hermione that spoke up.

"First Parvarti and now Kenneth? They know that they won't get in trouble because they're in league with Umbridge! This stinks of unfairness!" She yelled.

"Parvarti?" Lavender had gotten even paler and spun on her heel to run back out of the common room.

In the next moment, there was an almighty boom from outside the Tower and they could all hear the Fat Lady shriek. The students ran for the portrait hole, Seamus kicking it open as they poured out onto the landing and staircase which led to it. The scene before them silenced them. Dust hung in the air like thick fog, swirling so much that it took a minute for them to see what had happened. On the staircase below there were two bodies, two girls dressed in the red and gold of Gryffindor sprawled across the stone steps at angles which would not be comfortable in the slightest; the blast had thrown them there. Lavender slowly sat up, covered in the white dust which seemed to have come from the stone banister, or what was left of it, a huge hole had been blasted in the side of the moving staircase and the debris had been obliterated thus causing the powder which coated everything. The other girl was face down, her housemates unable to tell her apart from any other brunette in Gryffindor until Lavender called out in a groggy voice, clutching her left arm which was at a funny angle, in pain.

"It's Verity, she's been knocked uncon-" She stopped, having moved to the girl's side and frozen.

They all peered over, trying to see what she was stopping for. Fred and George were already pushing past them but had to wait as the staircase was moving away from them again. Then they all saw it, the scarlet puddle which was starting to seep out from under her head, dripping slowly onto the next step. George stepped back and took a running jump across the gap between the staircases, landing clumsily on the steps beside the two girls, having to grab Lavender's good hand to keep from tumbling through the gaping hole in the banister. Fred waited a moment and then vaulted over the edge of the door-side banister, landing beside his brother with a better stance. Gently, he turned Verity over, swearing when he saw her face and neck covered in blood from a gash on her right temple. Scooping her up in his arms, he stood as George picked Lavender up in a piggy-back and then they started to run towards the Hospital Wing.

The Gryffindors looked to Hermione for a moment to see what the prefect was going to say but she was already running down the stairs which were now connected again, hot on the heels of the twins. They needed no further push. All of the students poured down the stairs after the prefect, many dressed in their pj's now but they were far from caring. Straggling Gryffindors who had been elsewhere in the castle joined the crowd as they passed and their friends from other houses followed in curiosity, in the end there were well over sixty-five students gathering outside the Hospital Wing, much to Madam Pomphrey's astonishment. Fred pushed forward, his face grim as he nodded to the bleeding girl in his arms and was ushered right in, quickly followed by George and Lavender.

"Return to your houses please. Gryffindors, please return to the Tower, that is an order!" The dulcet tones of Minerva McGonagall cut through the murmuring as she pushed through to the door of the Hospital Wing with the Headmaster in tow. "Really, what is going on? Miss Granger, what-"

She stopped when seeing George and Fred returning to the door after being ushered out by Madam Pomphrey, the latter covered in blood which had turned his blue jumped an ugly brown shade. Dumbledore took them both by the elbow and led them back inside with McGonagall, leaving Hermione to usher everyone back to their houses. The twins took them to the four students who were lying in beds beside each other in a line, stopping beside the first bed where their friend lay as white as the pillow her head was on.

"What has happened here?" McGonagall gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as she took in Verity's bloody face and Lavender's broken arm.

"Someone blew up the banister near the common room, Professor." The younger girl told them quietly, her constant winces showing she had already drunk a cup of Skelegro. "Verity heard before I did and pushed me down...but I didn't see who did it."

"Albus, this is appalling. Surely something can be-"

"_Hem hem!_ What is going on? I came across what must have been all of Gryffindor house walking through the halls a moment ago." Umbridge walked in, her pink dressing gown billowing behind her.

"An excellent question Dolores! Perhaps you know of the reasons behind my students being attacked?" The House Mistress snapped, her face taut with fury.

"Attacked? Looks like the backlash of a duel, Minerva. No doubt an illegal club being started in secret, Cornelius worried about such a thing happening, I shall have to owl him this instant and inform him that his hunch was true." She smiled sweetly and only Dumbledore's hand on McGonagall's arm stopped the older woman from going for the Ministry official.

"As you see fit, Dolores, but I shall be conducting interviews with the portraits soon to try and find out who the other students involved in these attacks were. Perhaps you would like to join me in bringing the perpetrators to justice?" He spoke softly, well aware of the Weasley twins glowering as harshly as their Head of House.

The toad-faced woman's smile shut off as though someone had slapped her, her eyes narrowing as she nodded and followed the Headmaster out into the hall again. Professor McGonagall turned back to the twins with a weary sigh and nodded.

"You may stay with Miss Stone tonight if you wish, but you must remain quiet and not disturb Madam Pomphrey in her work. Understood?"

"Are you going to contact her Fa-" Fred gasped as George elbowed him in the ribs.

"What he means to say is are you going to tell her Uncle about this? Surely he needs to know what happened?" He muttered, now sitting down beside the bed and taking Verity's hand in his.

"Remus Lupin will not be contacted officially because he is not her Guardian, Miss Stone has no Guardian seeing as she is already seventeen. I will, however, send an owl to him as soon as Professor Umbridge is well out of my way." She told them, her face twisting in anger at the very thought of the other woman. "Now, sit down and behave."

She quickly left after telling the Healer that the boys were staying, leaving them to look at one another. Fred sat on the other side of Verity's bed, between hers and Kenneth's, their Seventh year roommate. George was gently rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand, it was dwarfed in his larger palm.

"Think it was Montague?" Fred asked quietly.

"Yup, Ginny said he was pestering her. Just like her not to tell us something like that." His brother replied in a low voice.

"This means wa- Verity!"

The girl's eyes slowly fluttered open, large in her pale face which was still partially covered in blood despite Madam Pomphrey's attempt to siphon it off with a quick 'Tergeo'. She looked at Fred first and then down at her hand which George had gripped tighter and then at him.

"…W-what…where am I?" Her voice was very quiet, and sounded as though she was trying to rise through layers of sleep.

"The Hospital Wing, don't you remember what happened?" George asked, giving Fred a concerned look.

"…Explosion…" She muttered, the boys nodding. "Pushed Lavender away…sounded like Montague."

"I knew it!" Fred exclaimed only to receive a harsh glare from Madam Pomphrey. "Sorry."

"…I'll get him back…" Verity murmured, her eyes closing again as she lay back. "He's just pissed that I threatened him today…"

The twins looked at one another and raised identical brows before turning back to their resting friend. Fred reached over and tapped her nose, making her open her honey brown hues once more.

"Why'd you threaten him Very? He get too close for your nose's sake again?" He joked, not assuming he was anywhere near the truth.

"Something like that…he asked me for a kiss."

George looked like he had been hit with a Stunner, his eyes growing wide as he froze in his seat. His brother shook his head with an almost unperceivable motion, his way of telling him to act normally.

"He…he did what?" George managed to splutter, his face still paler than it was.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't." The girl sighed, feeling very tired. "I told him I'd rather kiss a toilet." She smartly left out the part where the Slytherin had insulted them, knowing they would almost certainly leave to hunt him down if she did.

"That's our girl." He breathed a sigh of relief.

"George? Fred? I think I need to sleep…will you be here when I wake up?" She asked timidly, her way of nearly admitting that perhaps she wanted them there in case something else happened.

"Of course." Fred smiled, and dropped a kiss on her forehead before settling back in his chair.

George said nothing but kissed her cheek, leaning forward in his chair to lay his head on the side of the bed beside her. Madam Pomphrey found them both like that in the morning, the girl between them sleeping with a small smile on her face. Sometimes that was all you needed to feel better, your friends around you.

December soon rolled around, bringing with it a ton of homework for the Seventh years, and colder weather. Angelina had finally replaced the twins with two boys called Andrew Kirke and Jack Sloper, but the most surprising replacement was Ginny Weasley as Seeker. The last D.A meeting of the term came and went without ceremony, Harry claiming that it was somewhat pointless to start something new just before a three week break, and most of them agreed, except for Zacharias Smith who seemed to disagree with everything just because he could. In two days they would all be leaving for the Christmas Holidays and they couldn't wait.

Verity, now fully healed, awoke to find bedlam in the common room. Professor McGonagall was standing in the middle of the room yelling at Professor Umbridge, both of them still in their dressing gowns. She edged over to Hermione who was staring at the confrontation with horror and sat on the table beside her.

"What's going on?" She asked, clearly confused.

"Apparently Ron and-"

"All the Weasleys have disappeared in the middle of the night Minerva! Care to explain where they have gone? No doubt sent somewhere by Dumbledore on a mission against the Ministry, Harry Potter went with them!" Cried Umbridge, her face turning puce.

Verity frowned, the twins had left? Not just the twins it seemed, but Ron, Ginny and Harry too. Something was definitely fishy but it was only made stranger with the fact that Hermione had been left behind, and the girl was not happy about that if she was reading her face correctly. An owl tapped at the window, Katie walking over to let it in. Umbridge reached her arm out, expecting it to settle there but the bird kept flying until it reached the table that Verity and Hermione were sat on, cooing at them until the older girl removed the scroll from its leg. Unfurling it, the bird flying off as soon as it was removed, Verity read the message:

_Careful. Do not let the toad read this. Task gone wrong. Dad is hurt. Will see you in two days,_

Then she burned it before the woman could snatch it from her.

"What did that say? What has Potter sent you? Or those wretched twins. Tell me this instant!" She demanded.

"Attention. Ne laissez pas lire ce crapaud. De travail qui a mal tourné. Papa est blessé. Rendez-vous dans deux jours." Verity replied, her face completely void of emotion.

"In English, you stupid girl!"

"In English? Hmm, how to translate..." She mused, deliberately infuriating the Professor who reached over and grabbed her by her pyjama top, shaking her. "Hey easy! Okay! It said: Warning. The book is crap. It doesn't work. Your dad lied. Send it back in two days."

Umbridge glared at her, unable to tell whether she was being honest or not, afterall, the girl was a remarkable liar. But she had no way of knowing, the letter had been burned and McGonagall was pointing to the door with a shaking finger. Verity gave her a smiley little wave as she passed and breathed out a sigh of relief when she was gone. Hermione leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"Mr Weasley has been hurt?" She hissed harshly, her eyes wide with worry. "We can't wait two days!"

"We can and we will." Verity told her, having forgotten that the bookworm could speak very good French. "We wait and then we go to Headquarters, don't give Umbridge a reason to throw you in detention or expel you Hermione. Harry and Ron need you."

"Then what do we do?" She asked, clearly as frustrated as Verity was.

"We pack...let's go."

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A/N: Well...that was a little different eh? Hope it was still believable, we all know the Slytherins _are_ bad losers and that Umbridge is a...well you know.Oh, and if you can understand French, I apologise, I'm using Google Translate XD I CAN speak French but can't be bothered trying to look up all the words needed and put them in the correct sentence structure after an eight hour shift in the changing rooms, that place kills your motivation.

Just a heads up here, I am moving house...tomorrow. Woot! Excited but sad too as it means I won't have internet for a while until I get connected. I'll try and get it as soon as I can but unless I can pinch my parents pc, I won't be able to update every day. Maybe not even every second day. **HOWEVER**, I will still write a chapter a day so when I _do_ manage to get online, I can give you all the chapters at once. Sorry but it's just how it is going to have to be.

Please don't leave!

Coming up! Headquarters, Christmas and Sirius Black!

**Keely Matthews:** Isn't he just?

**TiffyLikesBloodRED:** Thank you!

**Skipperdoodle:** I did try, I've been rereading the book (and watching the movie) so some of the dialogue is directly from that to help set the scene.

**Urnumber1fan:** Glad I made your day! You guys make mine!

**Lcd619: **So happy you like it and Verity, she's not too shallow a character is she?

**Gaia v: **Oh believe me, I **want** to rush ahead of myself but good things come to those who wait so I shall to restrain myself!

**FallenAngelFox: **Thank you! And I totally agree, Umbridge is a wart.

**REVIEWS! **Please keep reviewing, even if I can't update every day from now on. I promise I will try my very hardest to make the chapters even better as an apology. Thanks.


	13. Warnings and Revelations

**DISCLAIMER: I don't have any rights to the characters other than the ones that are quite obviously not canon. **

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Chapter 13: Warnings and Revelations

Blood ran in a slow trickle down the back of her hand and onto the desk, staining the parchment she was writing on. Verity didn't look up once, nor did she attempt to wipe the blood away, all she did was roll up her sleeves so her shirt would not be marked. She had stopped wincing long ago, and it was getting to Umbridge, she could tell by the way the woman glared at her as though she were one of her despised half-breeds. Brushing a strand of hair from her face, Verity let her hand brush against her right cheek, smearing a red streak across the pale skin. Umbridge hissed in annoyance and flung a handkerchief onto the desk the girl was working at. Verity looked up with innocent eyes, her honey hues capturing the other woman's and holding them fast.

"Oh, I don't have a cold Professor, but thank you for the gesture." She smiled.

"It's not for your nose, stupid girl. It's for your cheek, wipe that now before someone walks in." The woman hissed.

"But surely that is what you want, is it not? What does it matter if the blood is on my hand or my face, at the end of the day it is still my blood."

They looked at each other: one glaring and the other keeping her naive gaze. Umbridge finally broke the staring contest after a few minutes, turning back to her own desk and picking up her lukewarm teacup. Verity snuck a quick glance at the hourglass on the windowsill and felt her heart lift a little, only five minutes left and then she could go, four hours slicing one's hand open was not her idea of a good last night. This time tomorrow she would be free and in the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, that made her smile. When her Mother had passed away in June she had tried not to think about Christmas, knowing that she would be very much alone, but how wrong she had been! Remus always knew when to appear on the scene.

The final grain of sand fell into the lower half of the hourglass.

"Well, as always, this was a pleasure Professor. Don't forget to let your hair down over the holidays." She smiled sweetly at the Defence against the Dark Arts Professor and got to her feet, hiding all signs of pain.

"And perhaps you will do us all a favour and bump into Sirius Black, Miss Stone." Umbridge gave her an equally poisonous look in return.

Verity felt the colour drain from her face, her fingers gripping the back of the chair for support as she reached down for her bag. Unfortunately, the Ministry official saw the effect her words had had before the student could leave the room, her face stretching into a wide grin. She finally had something on the chit. Now she could pursue a little research into why the girl feared the murderer so much, perhaps he had killed her foolish Mother that Summer, it would certainly add up.

Verity waited until she was three corridors away from the despicable woman's office before leaning against the wall and taking a deep breath to try and calm her shattered nerves. Only then did she bite her lip and raise her hand up in the candlelight, knowing it would not be pretty. The words were invisible, hidden beneath a thick layer of blood which had turned her right hand into a gory, red glove. Her nails were stained, and the glutinous liquid had ran down her arm while she had been writing, reaching halfway toward her elbow. It looked like she had tried to force her arm down the throat of a lion and come off worse. There was no point in trying to clean herself up, her hand was shaking far too badly and she didn't want to end up hexing her fingers off with the wrong wand movement. She muttered the password and walked into the Gryffindor common room with her head high, looking around for someone to help her. Sat on the sofa in front of the fire were the familiar faces of Angelina, Katie and Lee, all were laughing and she could hear the clink of butterbeer bottles.

"Any more for me?" She asked, walking up behind them.

"You're back! Yeah, Lee got plenty this time seeing as Katie drank half the stash last night." Angelina grinned and patted the space between her and Lee, the aforementioned girl muttering something under her breath.

Verity grinned and dumped her bag behind the sofa before flopping down between her friends, her head falling back against the cushions. Before she could say a word, Katie screamed, her finger pointing at her friend's hand. Angelina gasped in horror and stared at Verity who merely shrugged and held it out to Lee who was already muttering the incantation which would clean the blood away.

"How long were you there this time?" He asked, concentrating on getting her skin back to its normal pale shade.

"Four hours…how bad is the damage? I didn't want to look when I was there, no way was I giving her the satisfaction." She replied in a quiet voice, glad that the two girls had now hushed, too many people were looking over.

"The words are at least half a centimetre deep now, you're never going to get rid of that scar Verity…" The dread locked boy gently ran his wand over the back of her hand, a thick layer of Murtlap Essence covering her skin in its wake.

She sighed and looked down at her maimed hand, wondering what on earth she had done to deserve such a bitch as a teacher. If she knew where Madame Maxime was then she would write to her old Headmistress but she remembered the towering woman mentioning that she was going on a skiing retreat for a while, she didn't know when or if the Beauxbatons Head was back yet. So for now she would have to put up with it. Angelina passed over a bottle and she took a long drag, letting the delicious liquid warm her from the inside.

"At least there'll be no Umbridge during the hols. Should give my hand time to heal a little." She laughed, but no one else did.

"I hate that woman." Muttered Angelina darkly. "Think she's a Death Eater?"

"Nah, doesn't have the brains the gods gave a Flobberworm." Katie said offhandedly, causing Verity and Lee to choke on their drinks in laughter.

"One more night…just one more…" Verity murmured, laying her head on Angelina's shoulder.

The black girl looked down at her and then laid her head against hers, staring into the fire as they all drank in silence. The younger students were running around the room behind them, overly excited about the impending holidays and that resulted in Hermione coming close to a breakdown. With Ron gone, she was the only prefect for the tower, though she had taken Seamus on as a replacement but he was more concerned with using his power for 'the dark side' as Dean called it. Verity listened with a smirk as the younger girl tried to tell Colin Creevey off for using Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes products, by the sound of it he had made his little brother eat a Puking Pastille. The twins would be proud when she told them the next day. On that thought, she got to her feet and ruffled Lee's dreads.

"Oye! Where's the need? Don't tell me you're off to bed, it's only nine!" He asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Mhm, never had a chance to pack thanks to Toadface questioning me. Still have to find all my shoes. I think some are under Alicia's bed." She yawned, stretching on her tiptoes as she walked around the sofa toward the stairs.

"Good luck with that, she's in the dorm and kind of pissed with you." Katie called.

"Why in Merlin's undies is she miffed with me?" Verity blinked in confusion. "_I'm _not the one going out with Fred." She ducked with a grin as Angelina chucked a cushion her way.

"Yeah, but you're spending the hols with him, she sees you as competition…on top of her other competition…I think…Alicia is a little weird these days."

"You're telling me." Verity muttered and headed up the stairs, shoving her wand in her pocket as she pushed open the door.

Two trunks stood at the door, full of neatly packed clothes and knick-knacks, Angelina's and Katie's. Her own was only half full, her clothes still covering her bed from where she had abandoned them earlier to run out for detention. Sighing, she pulled her wand out again and flicked it at the garments, nodding as they flew in the air then settled in the trunk, neatly packed. Her shoes were another matter. Dropping to her knees, missing Alicia as she walked out of the bathroom, she pointed her wand under the bed and called out.

"Accio shoes!"

Four pairs of shoes rushed toward her, stopping mere centimetres from her face as she flung her arms over her head, she could never get used to that charm. With a shake of her head, she picked them all up and tossed them in the trunk, all done. Only when she stood up did she notice she had company, her glaring room-mate standing in front of her with her hands on her hips.

"Uh, hi Alicia, didn't see you th-"

"Stay away from Fred." She hissed. "I mean it, you might be staying in the same house as him but don't you dare touch him. He's mine."

Verity raised a curious brow and sank onto her bed, her pale face now curious. The girl was obviously beyond crush territory, this had progressed onto full scale infatuation, usually quite manageable but she knew that Fred would not make this easy. No doubt the tall prankster would find it amusing and play on the girl's affections for his own amusement, he was one hundred percent with Angelina, even though he didn't go out of his way to show it sometimes. This was different though, Verity had never been the target of jealousy before, be it boys or friends, and she wasn't sure how to handle it.

"Um, I don't intend to? Alicia, Fred is a mate, a really good mate. I don't have those kinds of feelings for him." She told the other girl slowly.

"So, what? He's not good enough? Is that what you're saying? Fred is twice the man you make him out to be!" Alicia sneered, flicking her wand so her own pile of shoes flew into her open trunk with a loud clatter.

"Well obviously, he's a twin so of course he's twice the man." Verity laughed before she thought about it, the look on Alicia's face telling her that it was the wrong thing to say. "...Sorry..."

"You think you're so funny. You just appear out of nowhere, the new girl, and suddenly everyone wants to be your friend. But you don't try at your school work, you don't follow Quidditch and you do everything you can to get into more trouble than anyone else." Alicia slammed her trunk shut and got into bed. "Attention seeking is a terrible trait to have, Verity Stone." And with that, she drew the curtains, cutting the conversation off.

"Well…" Verity was stunned, unsure of how to take those barbs. "...Night then."

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Hermione stepped out of the black cab and sighed in exasperation when she sunk to her ankles in dirty slush, this was not her night. Verity was already getting out of the other side, but suffered a similar blow when another car drove past and sprayed her with the half melted snow, the older girl freezing in place as it dripped off her coat. The entire journey had been a mess, from the Slytherins constantly pestering them on the train, to the new luggage search service which was now mandatory, courtesy of interfering Ministry busybodies. Now they were stood in a silent London street with their trunks planted firmly in the snow on the pavement beside them, and according to Hermione they had to walk the last part. Muggle area so no magic allowed, Verity was cursing under her breath every step of the way as their trunks kept sticking in the slush. Then it began to snow again.

"Granger, it better not be much further or I'll blow up a bin." She muttered, the cold weather making her fairly disagreeable.

"Don't you dare, you'll get in serious trouble! We're not far now, this way, come on."

They turned into a dark street, one of those round ones, she struggled for the name of such a place and then remembered, a circus. The private garden in the middle of the roundabout was eerily quiet, and it made both girls feel very uncomfortable when they turned their backs on it to stand before the houses. Ten, eleven, thirteen...

"Where is it?" Verity hissed to Hermione, looking back at the piece of paper in her hand which read; Twelve Grimmauld Place.

"Think about the address and look up again." She hissed, shifting from foot to foot in worry, her eyes constantly looking around them.

Verity read the note once more and looked back up, gasping when the row of buildings began to shake and pull apart between eleven and thirteen. She could see the oblivious Muggles through the curtains, unaware that anything was happening as number twelve appeared out of thin air. Grabbing the handle of her trunk once more, she followed Hermione up the steps, struggling with the stupidly heavy piece of luggage just as the other girl was. After ten steps of pure Hell, they reached the top and Hermione rang the doorbell with an exhausted finger. They were quickly ushered in by a plump, kind looking woman with bright red hair, she could be only one person.

"Oh dear, you're soaked! Come in, come in." Mrs Weasley smiled, closing the door behind them as Ron appeared from a door down the hall.

"Hermione! Dad's okay! Well, he's still at St. Mungo's but he's...alright, you know?" The gangly boy blurted out, taking her trunk from her while giving her an awkward one armed hug.

"That's fantastic news Ronald! We didn't know what was going on until-"

"How about moving into the kitchen, hmm?" Molly asked, smiling at them still while ushering them down the hall and into the warm room where more people were waiting.

Verity stopped in the doorway as Ginny waved to Hermione, there were another two men, one had the Weasley red hair and the other was a small, rather shifty looking male. The twins were talking to the small man with their backs to the door, choosing to wave over their shoulders at Hermione rather than turn away from whatever business deal they were doing. A tall, thin man who was dressed in fairly shabby clothes was standing beside the large Christmas tree, charming the baubles to change colours every few moments. Verity grinned and walked over to him, tapping him on the shoulder so he turned around with a smile.

"Ah, you've grown again." Remus Lupin told her, his scarred face bright with cheer despite his run-down appearance. "You look more like your Mother each day, she was so beautiful."

"I wish, but thanks Uncle Remus." She was wrapped in a hug, his familiar musky scent filling her nose, he never changed. "So, this is the-"

"FILTH! BLOOD TRAITORS! MY FOREFATHERS ARE TURNING IN THEIR GRAVES! INFIDELS! VERMIN!" Screamed a voice from the hall, very loud and shrill.

Verity turned to pop her head out into the corridor along with Lupin and stared at the portrait at the end which was yelling at the top of its lungs. An old woman, very ugly and wizened stared back at them, her eyes rolling madly and froth foaming at her lips. She pointed at Verity with a shaking finger, the girl's face turning the colour of milk as her eyes grew wide in recognition.

"YOU! SHAME OF MY BODY! NOT FIT TO USE THE NAME OF MY FATHER! SPAWN OF MY DISGRACE! BLOOD TRAITOR GRANDCHILD! FILTH!" She yelled, her voice getting louder if that was possible.

"SHUT UP YOU OLD HAG!" Another voice rang out, and they all turned to see the fuming face of Sirius Black.

He stormed up to the painting and, with Lupin's help, managed to shut the curtains over it once more, the yelling dying down again. The silence grew in volume as everyone stared at Sirius, then at Verity and finally at the curtained portrait. She knew what they were thinking, they were trying to piece it all together, but no one wanted to be the first to say it. It was eventually Ron who spoke up, stumbling into the problem as usual.

"But her name's Stone, not Black..." He muttered in confusion, Hermione quickly hitting the back of his head.

"No..." Verity said in a quiet voice, turning to face them. "Stone was my Mum's name...my real name is Black. Verity Astraia Black..."

Ron's jaw dropped in surprise, and even Hermione seemed speechless for once. The twins merely looked at each other with raised eyebrows and then back at their friend who was shuffling her feet anxiously, not sure what to do. Sirius gingerly stepped forward to close the gap between Verity and himself, running a hand through his tousled hair. But the girl darted away again, her eyes firmly fixed on the man's face as she took out her wand and held it before her in a warning.

"Are you going to curse your old Dad, Verity?" He asked with a nervous chuckle.

"Perhaps...where were you? I waited for days and you never came...you never came..." She whispered, unaware of the tears that were threatening to spill down her cheeks.

"I thought you were dead!" Sirius said quietly, clearly upset too, his fists clenched so tight that his knuckles showed white. "They found the body of a teenage girl in the room with your Mother...I thought it was you..."

Verity's hand shook as she kept the wand trained on her Father, brushing Lupin's arm aside when he went to knock it from her grasp. The only people she let near her were Fred and George, and they knew better than to attempt anything when she was this shook up. Fred picked up her long-strapped bag from the floor and slung it over his own shoulder, saying nothing while George placed his hands on Verity's shoulders in silent support.

"You didn't think of coming to find out? I thought the Order trained its members not to believe everything they're told unless they've seen it with their own eyes." She told him, her shakes subsiding a little under George's large palms. "The girl was a student, or have you forgotten that Mum was the Potions Professor for the school? You know what? I don't want to hear the answer. She was murdered and you never came, end of story."

"I'm a convicted criminal Verity! Or has that escaped your knowledge?" Sirius yelled as his daughter turned on her heel and began to walk up the stairs. "I can't exactly show myself in public these days!"

She stopped and braced her hands on the bannister as she leaned over to yell back, her honey eyes blazing in anger while the tears ran unchecked down her wind-whipped cheeks.

"How could I _forget_ that small fact? You've not shown yourself in public since I was two! Out of everyone searching for you, I think I'm the one who would know that best, _Dad_." She spat, her face contorting into a mask of sheer despair before she ran up the stairs and out of view, leaving everyone else below to make sense of what had just happened.

"Is anyone else really confused?" Asked Ron, receiving another slap from Hermione, then two more from Fred and George.

"Honestly Ronald...just shut up."

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A/N: Well, so much for a chapter a day. I tried but there was just so MUCH to unpack! I'm still trying to find space for all of it, plus I'll have to take everything out of the living room again on Friday night so the parents can help lay the laminate floor the next day. This being a grown up malarkey is hard!

Coming up! Extendible Ears and Wonder Witch is born!

Keely Matthews: Here is a little more of your Lupin, though I will admit that he is not going to be a huge character in the story. I will include him though, he's too nice to leave out.

**Lcd619: **I'm glad someone noticed Mr Weasley's little freak out XD and yeah, even though I don't want Verity to be a hero-type (Harry's enough) she **is** a Gryffindor so of course she would have to help Lavender, eh?

**Outthere101: **You are very welcome, I hope you keep reading when I manage to update.

**Annabelle: **That is a very cool site, I'll look into it more when I have reliable internet again. Thank you!

**Skipperdoodle: **Has this chapter helped a little with your dramatic pining for updates? And yes, you were right XD So my little Marauder, just sit tight and watch it unfold.

**Gaia v: **Well it looks like you were patient! And thank you for being so, I've been so frustrated not being able to have the time or access to post up! Enjoy!

**Erin: **They didn't kiss but we shall have to see. Hope you enjoy Chapter 14 on that note **~winks~**

**Ilia Viviana: **Thank you! I feel the exact same way, some stories are so far from the original plot that you cannot tell when they're set or what is happening any more. I'm trying to keep my story linked in as Harry's actions affect a lot of situations and people without trying to. Angelina is one of my favourite secondary characters, but Alicia is a bit bitchy, it adds to the drama, plus everyone loves Fred XD Thank you for your assessment of Verity, I've tried really hard with her, no hero complex or super powers or even overly pretty looks, we normal girls like to relate with other normal girls. Once again, thank you for your in depth criticism and praise, I truly respect that.

**renesmee carlie black.x:** I have no intentions of stopping yet Hun, I need **something** to keep me amused at work lol.

**Snowgirl7589: **Thank you, I think Verity is the girl too. Hope you enjoy!

**REVIEWS! **47 reviews? **SQUEE!** If you guys can get it to fifty then I will be so happy that I may just spin in my living room until my neighbours call the men in white coats with the square-wheeled van to come and get me. I really respect and love your reviews, they make my day, or week now considering I can only get on once a week to update. I promise to make a incredibly wicked chapter once I hit 70 so help me reach it! Thanks!


	14. Wonder Witch

**DISCLAIMER: I don't have any rights to the characters other than the ones that are quite obviously not canon. And the song is Fearless by Taylor Swift, I wish I had written it though, it's lovely.**

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Chapter 14: Wonder Witch

Jamming her arms through the sleeves of her, now dry, red coat, Verity pulled her boots on and ran out of the front door before anyone else was up. She had no intention of facing her Father that morning, she just couldn't, especially in front of everyone else and in such confined quarters there would be no way to avoid them. Instead, she had grabbed the next best option, getting the hell out of there. That was the reason why she was now traipsing through the snowy London streets with no destination and certainly no clue as to where she was. Each gloomy street opened onto another with identical parks and cast iron railings, there was no end to the monotony. Eventually, it had to end. She turned a corner and found herself in a park, a small one but there was a playground in the centre underneath a copse of bare trees. Brushing the snow off one of the swings, she sat down, letting the fat snowflakes fall on her bare head without caring.

That was how George Weasley found her forty minutes later, casually scuffing her feet in the snow while letting the swing sway her lethargically in the air. He sighed and walked up behind her, taking the chains in his hands and pulling them back, letting her go a moment later to rush through the air. She registered no shock at his arrival, merely allowing him push her on the swing for a minute or a two until he grabbed the chains again and stopped her. Only then did she look over her shoulder.

"Blue really isn't your colour." He told her quietly and began to unwrap the long scarf from around his neck.

"I didn't think...I just needed to get out of there before anyone else started asking questions..." She whispered, her voice harsh from crying herself to sleep and then enduring the blistering cold.

The scarf was in his hands and he soon wound it around her neck instead, still standing behind her as he did so. The cold bit into his skin but he shook it off, knowing that he could handle it a lot better than the girl before him, her violet tinged lips were testament to that. If they stayed out here any longer she was going to fall asleep and he did not want that. Walking around to stand in front of her, he held out a hand and dragged her to her feet. Verity did not protest, too numb to argue, both mentally and physically.

"You're freezing Very." He muttered, wrapping his arms tightly around her as they apparated into Diagon Alley.

She would have shrugged her shoulders but couldn't find the strength, the chill had sapped it from her. Instead, she let the boy pull her into a small café, following him to an alcove at the back, far from prying eyes. Without asking, George picked her up and sat her in his lap, enfolding her in his arms once more as he rubbed his hands over her pale cheeks, trying to warm them up. She was like ice under his touch, her honey brown eyes looking up to meet his concerned gaze with a hurt shadow in their depths. There was nothing he could do to help that hurt, she would have to get over it herself, but he could be there for her, and that was what he intended to do.

"Two hot chocolates please." He told the waitress when she came over, pushing three sickles and a knut over the table for her.

The witch nodded with a smile and fetched the drinks within minutes, tall, steaming glasses of hot cocoa with whipped cream and a cherry on top. Normally Verity would have dived right into hers and end up pinching George's topping but she just stared at it, not really in the mood. She shook her head and tucked herself against his chest, one arm tightening around her as the other went to pick up his drink. He had never seen his friend like this before, she had always been so strong. As he let his eyes wander over her shivering form he stopped drinking and placed the glass back on the table, picking up her right hand instead. She had forgotten to put gloves on that morning in her haste to escape and the cold had made her scar stand out in pale violet against white skin.

"It wasn't this bad before." He said in a low voice, running his thumb over the words. "How many detentions have you had since the Quidditch match?"

"Two the first week, two hours each. Three the next week for answering back in class, plus another for _defiling_ her cat plates." She mused, ticking them off mentally. "Then two yesterday and the day before because I wouldn't tell her where you had gone, those were four hour sessions."

George's eyes turned hard when she read the list off, his fingers wrapping around hers in a tight grip. The scar would never fade, even with vanishing cream, he knew that much. Damn the woman, they were going to have to do something about this before one of their hands was slashed to the bone.

"Four hours? I bet you looked a pretty picture. Did Lee fix you up with the Murtlap afterwards?" He asked quietly, watching as she finally took the cherry off the cream and popped it in her mouth.

"Mhm, I wouldn't have looked out of place in a Halloween party, let's put it that way." She gave him a small smile and snarfed the cherry from his glass too. "She was _really_ annoyed when you lot vanished, threw a fit in the common room and threatened McGonagall."

"I bet, she's one power-hungry bint. Listen, I really appreciate you not telling her about Dad, we all do...I'm just sorry you got into so much trouble."

She looked up at him, her eyes large as she nibbled on the cherry like a mouse. He couldn't help but think she looked rather cute in that moment, but knew that beneath that exterior lurked a prankster of the highest calibre, very dangerous. Verity smiled again, feeling much warmer than she had in a while and squeezed his fingers.

"George, I would get into far more trouble for you and Fred. I don't care if she starts on other body parts next, I'd give an ear for you." She grinned and winked at him.

"A whole ear? I'm honoured." He laughed and ruffled her wind-swept hair. "What was the other thing you mentioned? Defiling her cat plates?"

"Oh that." She laughed loudly, other people in the café looking their way with their own smiles, glad that someone was having fun in this darker time. "She left her office during one detention because Mr Filch said someone had set off Dungbombs in the Slytherin corridor?"

"That was us." He grinned but indicated for her to continue.

"Well, thanks for that, it gave me the time I needed to grab a paintbrush and some everlasting ink." She had to stop talking for a moment while she got her chuckles under control. "I painted catnip in half the plates before she came back and caught me. Those kittens are now so wired that they constantly yowl and run around the plates, it drives her mad!"

The two of them burst out laughing, holding onto each other to try and stem the hilarity but failing utterly. It was a few minutes before either of them calmed down enough to wipe away the tears which ran down their faces, their sides aching so much that it was hard to breathe. Verity reached up and kissed George's cheek with a smile, then lay her head on his shoulder.

"Thanks for taking my mind off things, don't know what I'd do without you George."

"Be miserable?" He asked, smiling back down at her. "Think nothing of it. Any time you feel you can't smile, you just come to me, okay?"

She nodded and finally started on her drink, letting herself warm up from the inside as well as their body heat thawing her frozen limbs. George watched as she started to sip from the glass, he had begun to think he was going to have to force her to drink it if she waited much longer. Instead, he took a gulp of his own, his eyes still on the girl in his lap. He had never noticed how small her hands were before, his dwarfed her slender fingers, each of which ended in a perfect crescent shaped nail. If anything, Verity was vain about her nails, and her hair, though she would rather die than admit she had anything in common with her former classmates at Beauxbatons. Silently, George thought it was a good thing, her hair a mass of long, thick curls the colour of dark chocolate, and he wanted to run his fingers through it, so he made sure he grabbed his glass tightly to avoid the temptation.

"Oye! Starting without me are you? Bloody traitors!" A voice cried from above them.

"Fred!" Verity grinned and motioned for him to sit down, pushing her glass toward him. "Have some chocolate!"

"Don't mind if I do." He quickly drained the glass and plonked himself down on the padded bench. "So? You two on a date? A really early date?"

George choked on his hot chocolate as Verity turned bright red and began to splutter her denial. Fred grinned even wider and leaned over to thump his twin's back, winking at Verity in the process, letting her know he was just pulling their legs. The girl immediately punched his outstretched arm and huffed when Fred merely shrugged. She was utterly useless in hand to hand combat.

"Fred, you do realise the whole twin thing ends if you _kill_ your twin?" George managed to tell him while coughing.

"It was worth it just to see the looks on your faces. You two are the last people I would expect to get together." His brother told them, leaning back in his seat again.

"Why's that? Are you saying I'm not good enough for your brother, Mr Weasley?" Verity asked in mock annoyance, her eyes twinkling.

"Nope, he's not good enough for _you_. You're way out of Georgie's league. Now come on, we need more pipistrelle wings for the Extendibles!" He laughed, dodging a punch from George this time as he got to his feet and ran out of the café.

They found him in the apothecary's, as promised, looking through tubs of bat wings and already arguing with the shopkeeper about the price. Verity shook her head and wandered over to the barrel of Fireflower heads, picking one up with the tongs provided. This was just what she needed for her latest potion, but they were certainly pricey too, five for a galleon. Nevertheless, she needed them, nothing else would draw out infection as well as these beauties, they would work a treat on minor skin complaints. Placing twenty into a canvas bag, spelled against heat, she walked to the counter and handed over her coins, picking up an aloe plant and a vial of Doxy venom as she did so. Perfect, all done before lunchtime. The twins came back over with several bags flung over their shoulders, Fred nicking hers and putting it in one of his own much to her annoyance. They had walked the entire length of the street, only metres from the Leaky Cauldron entrance, when she spotted it in the window of a very dusty and old shop. It was beautiful. Dark, mahogany wood and delicate gold inlay for the swirling markings on the body, the most amazing thing she had ever seen. She ducked into the shop immediately, the twins turning around to find nothing but air where she had been standing mere moments before. An old wizard jerked his head up from the counter as she came in, having been roused from his snooze and now very surprised to see anyone in his shop.

"The guitar in the window...how much is it?" She asked breathlessly.

"That old thing? It's useless, the auto-tuning charm has gone and you'd need to perform Sonorous on it to make it amplify these days. Five galleons and it's yours, I don't want to see it any more." He told her, obviously annoyed with the instrument's limited abilities.

Verity's eyes lit up and she practically threw the money on the counter, plus another sickle for the guitar case beside it. Fred stared in amazement as she walked out with the case slung over her back, her face beaming with happiness. She just grinned back and looped her arm through George's with a skip in her step.

"Ready to go home?" She asked nonchalantly.

"What the bloody hell is in that?" George blinked, looking at the large case.

"A surprise. Home?" She tugged him further down the street, Fred coming up beside her to grab her free hand. "I'll show you later, I promise. But we need to get back before my Fireflowers wilt."

"And what possessed you to buy those? They're extortionate!" Fred gasped.

"They're for my experiment. Very dangerous, top secret...no Weasleys allowed." She grinned, wiggling her eyebrows at her two friends who took the bait and began to badger her for information.

The jovial mood evaporated the moment they walked back into number twelve Grimmauld Place and came face to face with the owner of the building. Sirius walked up to them and was about to say something when he noticed the case on his daughter's back.

"A guitar? I thought you had one of those already...three in fact." He asked, confused.

"...I had to sell them..." She said quietly, shrinking into Fred's grasp. "Had to run quickly before Mum's murderer found out he hadn't killed me after all..."

"Smart move, exactly what your Mother would have told you to do. She was a very sharp woman as well, I'm glad you turned out so like her." His voice was wistful, almost as though he were wishing time to rewind. "Fred, George, thanks for going after her...I realise I'm not much use when she decides to do that."

The tiny smile forming on Verity's lips disappeared again as though someone had flicked off a switch, a shadow passing over her face. Pushing passed her Father, she ran up the stairs and into the small room that she had been given with not enough room to swing a Kneazle. The Fireflowers were forgotten as she punched ten bells out of her pillow, imagining it to be her Father's face, though she knew this was the closest she would ever get to hitting him, she would really have to learn how to throw a decent right hook. After about ten minutes of beating the offending cushion into a lumpy, well, cushion thing, she looked back to the guitar case and clicked it open. The instrument was just as perfect as when it was in the shop window, just waiting for her to pluck the strings. So she did and immediately winced. It was horribly out of tune, and seeing as the auto-tuning charm was defunct it meant she would have to do it manually, but that was no problem. She had it working within five minutes, clear notes reverberating around the room as her fingers traced the strings. Just bliss.

"Can we come in?" Asked Fred from the other side of the door, his hand gently tapping on the wood.

"Yeah, you can come in, just shut the door behind you." She called out, sitting down on the windowsill with one leg propped up on the end of the single bed which took up most of the box room.

Fred walked in, followed by George, the latter leaning against the wall while his twin flopped down on the bed. She had to smile, their grins were just too infectious not to. Damn them both. Luckily, they had both brought a roll of parchment each and started to confer on the right recipe for their latest invention, Extendible Ears. It was really quite brilliant, flesh coloured strings which reached exactly where you wanted and delivered the sound back to you, like those Muggle telephone things. While they argued about the use of Dragonfly scales in comparison to moonstone powder, she closed her eyes and let her fingers wander over the strings, picking out a song from memory. For some reason her songs always came out a little bit country; raw and easy on the ears with enough heart to tame a giant. She forgot about the others in the room and started to sing the words that she had written to accompany the melody in a quiet voice, her eyes still shut but a smile spreading over her lips.

"...Cause I don't know how it gets better than this, you take my hand and drag me head first, fearless..." The lyrics spilled from her tongue in a silver stream, clear as crystal and perfect.

"...Someone has been holding out on us Fred..."

Her eyes snapped open, a blush appearing over her cheeks in embarrassment as she slapped her hand down on the strings to stop them from humming. Both boys were looking at her with astonished expressions, Fred slightly more amused than George who appeared to be amazed. Just what she needed.

"Umm...told you it was a surprise?" She tried, attempting to diffuse the tension.

"A surprise? Very, a present is a surprise, or a Dungbomb to the head...that was a revelation." Fred laughed from the bed, throwing a cushion at her which she dodged.

"Well, keep it to yourselves. I have a reputation to uphold." She said in a sniffy voice, tilting her nose up in the air.

George shook his head with a grin and pushed himself off the wall, walking over to her. When he reached her side two steps later, he leaned down to her level and took the guitar from her grasp, laying it back in the case. She wondered what on earth he was doing. The wicked twinkle came back to his eyes as he pulled a piece of parchment from his back pocket, flourishing it in her face.

"We have a surprise too. Know what this is Very?" He asked as recognition dawned on her face.

"That's mine! Give it back!" She cried, lunging for him only to be grabbed by Fred who yanked her onto the bed.

"Wrong, it's brilliant." George told her, sitting down beside the squirming girl who suddenly ceased her wriggling.

"It's just a recipe for a spot cream, Mum and I invented it last year." She was curious now, how was it brilliant?

"Yeah, nice name too; Wonder Witch. We think that it would go well with Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, what do you think?" Fred asked, blowing on her ear.

Verity stared at George, and then up at Fred who grinned back at her. Be a part of their idea? A proper place in the shop, not just an assistant but with her own invention being sold beside theirs. It was everything she had ever wanted since hearing about their venture, to be part of something amazing and have her opinions matter. She would be no good as a Healer, or Auror, nor did she have the temperament to work in the Ministry. But a shopkeeper?

"You mean it? You want me to be in the shop too? All because of a jar of spot cream?" She breathed.

"Very, we see your Ten-Second Pimple Vanisher being huge. And naturally we want it in our shop. And anyway, who else would we trust with the merchandise? We need a female perspective despite Fred's feminine outlook." George told her, handing back the parchment. "Is that a yes?"

"Count me in! I love you two!" She yelled and grabbed George to drag him into a three-way hug, accidentally bashing their heads together. "Oops!"

"VERY!" They cried and started to tickle her, the girl's screams echoing through the house, a sure sign that all was well again.

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A/N: Okay, bad me. Feel free to slap me on the wrist. I tried to write another chapter after this one but had to take **everything** out of my living room again so the parents can lay the floor tomorrow. I'm utterly drained. Oh, and if you're wondering, the song that Verity was singing is Fearless by Taylor Swift, huge fan of hers plus I have Verity in my head as a country kind of girl. Having her heart on her sleeve but still hiding it, you know?

Also, an update on the whole...update issue. Turns out the soonest I can get my flat connected to the net is January . Well peeved with that one! I'll update when I can but that will only be when and if I can get to my parents, weather permitting. Please don't hate me!

Coming up! Christmas Day and a reconciliation of sorts.

**REVIEWS!** I love, love, love, love, **love **your reviews! Makes me all mushy XD Please keep writing them, I want to know what you think and whether or not I'm making any sense. Also, let me know if there are any scenes from the original you think ought to be in the story, I want to make it as tied in as possible but still retain some personal flair. Thanks!

**A thousand thanks to my best mate Conny who is editing these chapters for me now, I shall update the story with the improved text when I get time. -x-**


	15. Healing

**DISCLAIMER: I don't have any rights to the characters other than the ones that are quite obviously not canon. **

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Chapter 15: Healing

They were alone in the house and the silence was deafening. The long trestle table stretched between them, taking up most of the kitchen but Verity still felt far too close to the man sat at the opposite end. His grey eyes were trained on her, watching her every move as though waiting for her to say the first word and break the tension. She had no intention of doing that. Instead, she concentrated on the bacon sandwich sitting on the plate before her, toying with the idea of eating but knowing that it wouldn't make her feel any better. Then he spoke.

"It's going to get cold."

"I'm not hungry." She replied, looking up at Sirius with a blank gaze.

"Well then...what do you want to do? We could go for a walk in the garden, or try cleaning the top floor...I suppose we could even-" He started but she interrupted.

"No thanks. I have loads of work to do...school stuff."

She held his gaze, the lie spilling from her lips with ease, though this time she squirmed somewhat uncomfortably on the bench. The family house-elf, a disreputable looking thing called Kreacher, cleared up the dishes while muttering rather loudly, apparently thinking he was talking under his breath.

"Ungrateful blood traitor brat, my mistress would be so upset to see her house filled with this scum. Look at her, thinking she belongs in the noble house of Black, so-"

"Kreacher! Shut up! Go clean the toilet or something." Sirius yelled just as Verity opened her mouth to tell the servant something along the same lines.

There was nothing more to say. The younger Black got to her feet and quickly left the room, dashing up the stairs to the room the twins were using, slamming the door behind her. Back in the kitchen, she could hear her Father singing Christmas carols, no doubt trying to forget about this latest failed attempt to win his daughter back. Well he could go sing for his supper, she had no intention of letting him anywhere near her heart. So it was with a sigh that she sat down in front of a bubbling cauldron perched on the windowsill, a portable fire merrily burning beneath it as the contents of the pot bubbled. The potion was a shade in between blue and purple, constantly shifting like oil on water, and the room filled with the scent of lemons every time a bubble burst on the surface. She had wanted to try this idea out for weeks but with Umbridge breathing down their necks there had never been a safe time to do so. A much thumbed notebook sat on the windowsill beside the pewter cauldron, the open pages spattered with blue drops that glittered in the sunlight, her copious notes from every test and result. Verity smiled at the glimmering liquid and reached into the bag she had bought the previous week with a pair of delicate silver tongs, it would not do to muck up when she had got to this point in the process. Pulling the silver cap off the vial, she took a deep breath and let three drops of Doxy venom fall into the potion which quickly flamed up in a crackling cloud of glitter as an explosion rocked the house. Coughing on the fumes of burnt sugar and lemons, Verity waved the smoke away, anxiously peering into the cauldron, biting her bottom lip in nervous anticipation. But she had nothing to fear. The creamy consistency was perfect, just the right depth of swirls in the surface of the now silver potion. It was done.

"You dancer!" She squealed and couldn't help but laugh happily, turning quickly as the door flew open.

"What happened? Are you okay? I heard a bang!" Sirius asked, his jacket askew as he had just legged it up three flights of stairs.

"I'm fine. It was just the potion, and it's perfect! Look!" She grinned and beckoned him over, her animosity forgotten for the moment.

Sirius strode over confidently, though inside his gut was filled with butterflies, not that he would ever show it. Another person appeared behind him in the doorway with crooked glasses and messy hair. She waved Harry in too and shifted to the side so they could both see the masterpiece she had concocted.

"Er...What is it exactly?" Harry asked, clearly unsure about what he was meant to be seeing.

"What is it? It's my Hair Perfection Unguent!" She told them with a smile that soon disappeared when confronted with two blank faces. "Oh for goodness sake, come here."

She stood up and reached into the cauldron, taking a small dollop of the cream in her hands and advancing on her Father. Sirius looked apprehensive and took a step back but Fred's bed got in the way and he stumbled, giving Verity enough time to rub the mixture into his shoulder length locks. The effect was staggering. Within a minute his once lank, and rather unkempt, hair had turned into smooth, controlled waves that settled into a sleek curtain around his face. Harry's jaw dropped in astonishment, Sirius following suit as his daughter held up a small compact mirror she had fished from her pocket.

"See? Wicked isn't it?" She sat on George's bed opposite them, looking very much like she was related to a Cheshire cat though the glint in her eyes was decisively Weasley in origin.

"Wicked? Verity, this is amazing. You've just made several hair potions redundant with one brew...was this one of your Mother's recipes?" Sirius asked, lowering the mirror.

"...Why'd you think it was Mum's?" Her smile faded and her eyes turned dark. "Am I not smart enough to figure something out for myself?"

"I never said that Verity, I was only asking because your Mother was such a gifted Potions Mistress. It was nothing against your own skills." He quickly back-pedalled, his Godson starting to inch toward the door. "Right Harry?"

"Uh, yeah, I mean, I never knew you were good at Potions Verity, you always goof off in Snape's class...well, according to Angelina and everyone. But that stuff is seriously good...for people who like that kind of...thing..." He scratched the back of his head, trying to find a way to diffuse the situation.

"...Fine...I...thank you..." She said slowly, reluctantly adding the last part.

"You're welcome. Now, how about we try and act a little nicer to each other? I'm sure the last thing we want is the Weasleys hearing us fight when Arthur is coming home today, hmm?" Sirius asked, incredibly thankful at the way Harry had acted on instinct.

She managed a nod, after all, the last thing she wanted to do was dampen everyone's spirits when luck had finally turned back to their side. It seemed to do the trick. Sirius gave her a warm smile, which instantly made her feel guilty, and walked out of the room singing "God rest ye merry Hippogriffs." once more. Harry, however, stayed and came closer to sit on Fred's bed, his bespectacled eyes snagging her own. Verity wondered what he wanted, they were friends but hardly ever spoke to one another alone, it was a little weird.

"You should give him another chance, he's really trying you know?" He told her, giving her a wry grin.

"Don't Harry...you don't know what it's like to-" She began,

"To be without a parent? Or to find someone you get so attached to only to know they can never come and see you or leave their house because they may be caught?" His smile went slightly lopsided as they pondered his words.

"I...well...ugh, fine. You understand, but it's so hard! I can't forgive him, not now anyway...I know why he couldn't come but...I needed him..." She sighed, running her hands through her gypsy hair. "Every year, on Christmas Eve, my Mum would take me to Azkaban...to see him. We never told anyone, only the guards knew and they're paid enough not to talk. When he showed up at the door two years ago I thought it was all going to be perfect, us together as a family, you know? But he had to leave again, said it wasn't safe, that people would come to us first looking for him. It's different from you, Harry...I didn't just lose a parent, he was taken from me every year, I lost him again and again...and it never gets any easier..."

Harry got up and crossed the small space between them to sit beside her, a thin arm wrapping around her shoulders. She gave him a small smile, trying very hard to keep her emotions in check though it was a very difficult thing to do. Never before had she told anyone this, not even her Mother, but something in the boy's eyes made her want to open up, to trust him.

"Verity, maybe you should be a little easier on yourself then. He's here now and you punishing him for something he had no control over isn't going to make things better. Believe it or not, he's a good man. Sirius has been there for me when I thought I would never have anyone...he's the closest thing to family I've ever known." Harry told her, rubbing her arm comfortingly. "Tell him what you told me...he's not about to run away."

She blinked her large brown eyes at him as she let his words sink in, he was right of course. She _was_ punishing her Dad, even though she knew deep inside that he couldn't have done a thing about it. It was getting rather lonely too...ignoring the person that she wanted to be near to, all she wanted was to have him in her life and she was pushing him out by behaving like a little child. Forgiveness would have to be earned but explaining how she felt was a start, it didn't hurt to let him know _why_ she was upset with him.

With a sheepish smile, she wrapped her arms around the younger boy beside her and gave him a big hug, much to his surprise. Then she ran out of the room, jumping down the stairs two, sometimes three, at a time. It was time to be a family again, and what better time to try and fix things than Christmas?

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Christmas Day dawned with a fresh flurry of snow, the sun completely blocked from view but no one cared, they were all too busy jumping into the festivities. The house had been cleaned to within an inch of the brickwork, Sirius had turned into the most hard-working, cheerful person in the place! Holly and mistletoe hung everywhere, accompanied by great lengths of gold and silver streamers which draped along the walls. Piles of magical, everlasting snow glittered in great heaps on the floors, covering the threadbare carpets and a simply enormous Christmas tree stood in the corner of the parlour, hiding the Black family tree from view with its many branches upon which danced hundreds of live fairies. It looked like a completely different place.

CRACK!

Verity sat bolt upright in bed at the noise and nearly fell out in fright with the rude awakening, her heart thumping loudly in her ears. Identical grins met her as she glared, her pillow already making its way toward George's head when Fred grabbed her arm and yanked her out of bed. About to yell at them, a few choice words already on the tip of her tongue, she stopped and stared at the pile of presents awaiting her at the foot of the bed. She had expected a handful from Angelina and Katie, perhaps something explosive from the twins and Lee, but this surpassed her expectations. A small mountain sat there, shining paper in every shade imaginable and she could imagine quite a few.

"No way is that all for me..." She gasped, falling to her knees beside it as the twins sat next to her.

"I don't see anyone else called Verity, unless...George, did you change your name?" Fred smirked, reading out the label on the nearest present.

"Nope, I'm still me as far as I know." He looked down at his new Christmas jumper which had a large yellow G knitted into the pattern. "Did you?"

"Don't think so. Mum put an F on my jumper so I suppose we're still Gred and Forge."

Verity burst into laughter and elbowed Fred in the ribs, sending him head first into the pile of presents. It was a seriously good haul. Angelina had sent her a stunning pair of black shoes with a silencing charm build into the high heel, and Katie had given her a book titled 'Quidditch for Dummies', that one made her laugh even harder. From Lee there was a box of Jamaican truffles (Guaranteed to make you relax, Mon); Lupin, a thick cardigan which she immediately put on over her pyjamas; and an assortment of sweets from Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny. Mr and Mrs Weasley had very kindly given her a long scarf, knitted in the Gryffindor colours of red and gold. It was wonderful.

"We wanted to give you our presents personally." Fred told her, holding out an envelope, his brother placing a box before her.

"What is it?" She asked with a grin, taking the envelope and ripping it open, only to clap a hand to her mouth in shock. "Are you serious? You added me into the business contract? I thought it was going to be an unofficial thing!"

"No way. You're now our fourth partner, a proud member of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes." George grinned. " Harry is our third, he gave us the start up money from the Tri-Wizard Tournament, but we want to keep that quiet. He's the silent partner."

"I won't tell a soul...this is amazing..._you_ are amazing, how am I so lucky to have mates like you two?" She laughed, hugging Fred with one arm as George pushed the other present to her.

Nimble fingers made short work of the bright green wrapping, her eyes growing wide when she saw what it had contained. A handsome picture frame of dark wood detailed with swirling wisps of gilt sat in her lap, behind the glass was a picture of their group, taken on their trip to Hogsmeade. Angelina, Lee, Katie, Fred, George and herself waved from the photo, all bundled up against the cold. Lee was tickling a laughing Katie who stood next to a blushing Angelina, Fred's arms tight around her. Verity was in the middle, the shortest in the group and wearing so many layers that she was surprised she had been able to move. Standing beside her was George, his arm draped over her shoulder as his other hand wound the scarf around her neck to keep her from getting cold.

"Guys...this is... just...wow..." She whispered, her fingers tracing over the glass. "Thank you...thank you so much..."

"We thought you'd like it." George smiled as she leaned over and hugged him like she had hugged Fred.

"No, I _love_ it." She smiled back and placed it on her bedside table with careful precision. "That reminds me!"

She went to the cupboard and pulled out two parcels, both bulky and squishy. Running back to them, she sat on the floor again and handed them to Fred and George, grinning as a flurry of paper flew into the air. There were twin gasps as the dragon-skin jackets fell into their laps, both a wonderful shade of poisonous green so bright that it made her eyes water to look at them for too long. She had seen them staring at them when they had been in Diagon Alley the earlier week and had made a solitary trip back when they had been at St. Mungo's. The look on their faces told her it had been worth it as they shrugged them on over their clothes.

"Very...they're amazing!" Fred grabbed her in a hug, kissing her forehead soundly.

"Totally wicked! You're the best!" George cried and tackled her in his own hug, the three of them falling into the pile of paper.

"Hey, you missed a present." Fred reached for the tiny box which had laid hidden underneath the paper and handed it to Verity.

"Merry Christmas...Love Dad..." She read out in a small voice, her hands shaking as she opened it.

Inside the box, nestled on a bed of black velvet, was an oval locket about the size of a galleon. Crafted beautifully from gold, it bore the stylised initials V.A.B on the front, each interlinking in a series of curlicues. She gently lifted it out, suspended on a delicate gold chain and flicked open the catch. Two smiling faces looked out at her from either side, miniature portraits, one of which moved and spoke to her.

"Hello Very. You know you'll catch flies if you leave your mouth open like that." The woman with brown, curling hair told her, her eyes so like the girl who was staring in disbelief.

"...Mum...?" She whispered, shocked to the core.

"Well who else would it be?" Athena Stone laughed, her Scottish lilt quiet but clear. "Your Father's picture isn't able to talk yet, we portraits only start working fully after our real selves have passed on. So I hope my companion here won't bother me for quite some time. Now, be a good girl and put the locket on, I'm sure everyone is waiting for you. I'll still be here later, then we can talk."

Verity nodded, dumbfounded and shut the locket numbly. Out of all the things she had expected, this was never one of them. The thought behind it was incredible, her Father must have been planning it for months, if not years. George gently took the necklace from her slack fingers and fastened it around her neck, giving her a hug before he and Fred got to their feet.

"We'll wait downstairs for you. Better get dressed before Mum comes up here looking for you." He told her before they disappeared with a loud CRACK!

She nodded numbly, still staring at the locket on her chest with shock. For a man who had seemed quite mad most of her life, he had managed to get her the one thing she had yearned for in her deepest of dreams tucked away in her heart. Another moment with her Mother. True, it wasn't exactly the same, but it was the closest she was going to get. And it was perfect.

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A/N: So...things are on the mend! Slowly, I mean, come on, Verity can't just forgive him overnight, she's more than a little stubborn. But they're back on speaking terms. Also, I hope you liked the little Christmas skit, just thought I'd throw it in there, plus the new potion.

And I'm so sorry. The run up to Christmas = bedlam. I've been super busy, plus, the snow is back. Walking to and from work in it had made my thighs hurt in places I didn't think could. I had to actually duck into the supermarket the other night just to thaw my face, I was trying to walk in a blizzard and my face was so cold that it felt like someone was stabbing my eyes, not nice. With any luck I'll be able to write more soon, I already have half a chapter waiting but was far too tired to do anything tonight. Please forgive me.

On a better note, I finally saw the new movie! Oh my god, I cried when Dobby died, it was worse than Dumbledore's death.

Coming up! Umbridgeitus and Dumbledore's escape!

**Devil Nightmare:** So glad you liked it!

**RuuunItsJasmine: Happy I'm making sense XD I'm working on another chapter so keep reading!**

**Snowgirl7589: Yup, WonderWitch is here and it's going to get even better!**


	16. Mistletoe Mishaps

**DISCLAIMER: I don't have any rights to the characters other than the ones that are quite obviously not canon. **

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Chapter 16: Mistletoe Mishaps

Dressing warmly in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, Verity slung her new cardigan around her shoulders and ran down the stairs, her locket resting on her chest where it winked in the gloomy hall. Trying to tie her hair up as she ran, she fell head over bum when Ron stepped out of his room, earning a yelp from both of them as they grabbed each other in an attempt to keep from falling. It didn't work. Together they tumbled down the flight of stairs to the main hallway, elbows catching ears, feet in backs and ended up with Ron's face smushed against Verity's chest much to his dismay. Turning bright red and babbling something indecipherable, the younger boy darted down the hall into the safety of the kitchen as Harry ran down the stairs, torn between laughter and concern. Grinning like a fool he offered her his hand, helping her to her feet once more as she tried to catch her breath, the half tied braid bursting free once more in a riot of curls.

"Ta…I think I may have cracked something…" She groaned as she tilted her head to one side only for a loud click to sound in the echoing hall. "Or not…Where did that numpty go?"

Harry laughed quietly as they began to follow Ron's route to the hub of the house, the portrait of Verity's Grandmother shrieking into life as they passed it thanks to the rather loud descent down the stairs.

"SCUM! VERMIN! DISGUSTING SHAME OF MY FLESH! OUGHT TO BE-" Mrs Black yelled before they were able to force the curtains over her contorted face once more, practically falling into the kitchen, with faces red with exertion.

Sat at the table Ron looked up briefly only to blush furiously again and duck his attention back to the Christmas lunch before him, glaring at the mini sausages on his plate. Hermione blinked in confusion but then shook her head, used to his strange antics by now, the boy lacked improvement in his social skills after all. With a wicked grin the two newcomers sat down, Harry next to Ginny and Verity next to Fred as Hermione scooted over to let her in between them. Before they could say anything George handed them both a glass of something red and fizzy, raising it to her lips Verity found the familiar taste of mulled pop, a carbonated, cold version of mulled wine, very refreshing and delicious.

"Here we go! Daddy's back!" They all clapped as Molly Weasley brought Arthur into the room, his wheelchair spangled with streamers and glitter.

Plucking at Fred's rather fetching green knitted waistcoat, Verity received a flick to the ear, laughing as George leaned over to clink glasses with her and his twin. Sitting back on the bench she watched with amusement as Mrs Weasley began to hand out her children's main presents, Arthur looking fondly on from his seat at head of the table. That reminded her, where was her own Father? Looking around she spotted him walk into the room just as the head of the Weasley family raised a toast to Harry, preventing her from saying anything to him.

"A toast! A Christmas toast. To Mr Harry Potter…" He raised his glass, the rest of the room following suit, "…without whom I would not be here. Harry."

Harry's face was confused and frozen for a moment until they all murmured in agreement, his expression changing to one of slight embarrassment. Giving him a wink as she got to her feet Verity walked over to her Dad and stopped a couple of feet away, unsure of how to proceed with what she had to do. Sirius waited patiently in the doorway, making no sudden movement, much like a hunter waiting for the prey to come to him. Raising her glass a couple of inches the younger Black gave him a small smile and spoke softly, her words clear and sure as all other chatter had stopped, all eyes on the two of them.

"To Mum…" She said, taking a sip of the wine.

"To Athena…she was a great Mother…and the only woman I shall ever love…" Sirius replied, causing his daughter to look up at him sharply to see if he was telling the truth, his eyes convincing her in a second.

Setting her glass down on the table she took one more step toward him, her eyes suspicious as she waited to see if he was going to say anything else. The silence stretched between them once more, brown eyes meeting each other to see who would speak up first. Finally Verity had had enough; with a deep breath she screwed her eyes shut and blurted it out.

"I'm sorry! I don't hate you."

Sirius said nothing, a look of shock on his face before it disappeared under a warm grin. Walking forward he wrapped his arms around her, his daughter gripping his velvet jacket with perfect fingernails, her knuckles turning white as she tightened her grasp. Behind her she heard two pairs of hands start clapping, slowly at first, tentative, but then gaining volume as the rest of them joined in much to their embarrassed amusement. Turning to look over at them Verity nearly swore at the twins, her hand halfway toward raising a middle finger before she remembered Molly was in the room. Best not to anger that particular person. Instead she settled for sticking out her tongue at them, Sirius ruffling her hair fondly as he let her go, nodding Harry toward the door. Before they left he hugged her once more, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"When this is all over, we'll be a proper family. You'll see." He said, leaving with Harry.

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Fred shoved George, who pushed Ron, who yanked Fred back under the offending plant, each of the brothers replacing the other under the mistletoe. Hermione and Ginny watched from the couch, both giggling hard as George Apparated once again, only to Disapparate behind Ron and bump him under the dark leaves.

"Go on Ron! Kiss Hermione!" He grinned, waggling his eyebrows at the girl on the sofa who rolled her eyes back at him.

"No! You…you kiss Tonks!" Ron roared in reply, twisting out of his grasp and elbowing Fred into his former position just as Verity walked into the chaos.

Freezing on the spot the girl looked at each of the boys in turn, her gaze growing sceptical as Ron started laughing, Fred looked mischievous, and George's eyes widened in shock as he looked above her. Following his eyes she blinked at the mistletoe above her head, the plant growing almost in anticipation as she looked back at Fred who stood a mere foot from her. Was she supposed to kiss him? A part of her brain registered the fact that it was just Christmas silliness but another reminded her that he was technically going out with Angelina, the last person she wanted to upset…other than Molly Weasley. Before she could decide on anything the redhead made up her mind for her, leaning forward he grinned and whispered in her ear.

"As much as it would make my day I'm afraid I have a much better idea." Fred told her, completely confusing her as he quickly spun around, grabbed George's arm and threw his twin toward her.

Caught off guard George reached out to steady himself, his hands latching onto the first thing he could hold. Looking down he blinked, his hands on Verity's shoulders as her honey brown eyes caught his gaze and held it. What were they going to do now? His eyes sought hers for an answer as she stared up in shock, lips slightly parted as the others held their breath. The two of them made no move, time stood still as all the sound around them vanished.

She was acutely aware of his large hands warmly gripping her shoulders, that same warmth mirrored in her flushed cheeks that she was sure were cold a moment before. He could feel her body tense under his fingers, his pulse starting to race a little, thudding in his ears. Slowly he leaned toward her, his face inches from hers, her eyes slowly closing as she felt his hot breath ghost across her cheeks. And then…

"Ron? Have you seen my-" Harry said as he walked into the room stopping with wide eyesas he saw the situation unfolding before him, "…nevermind…"

George froze, his lips near touching Verity's, who had now gone a very deep shade of crimson, both of them staring at each other. The moment had been broken. In the next second his hands were running through his hair nervously as he laughed to cover up the tension, the girl in front of him trying to follow suit weakly. Fred and Ron started grinning, George swiftly flicking his wand at them as he fired a Tickling Jinx. Hermione and Ginny chose a different route, ganging up on Harry who backed up against the wall as they berated him for spoiling the moment. While the attention was diverted from her Verity took the opportunity given and bolted from the room, darting up the stairs to her room and locking the door. She could never say that life with her friends was dull.

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A/N: Well…first of all…I am so so so so so so…-several minutes later- …so sorry! After the move and hassle with setting up the net I went on holiday, and after THAT I was so swamped with work that I completely lost my mojo for writing this fanfic. Terrible I know but it happens. It took a swift kick in the backside by my best mate Conny, plus the new HP RP we've started, to set my mind back in motion.

I really do hope you will all forgive me. With any luck I'll be back doing this for the new month at least. Come September I am going on holiday again, this time to Australia for a month for the trip of a lifetime, I'll explain when I come back. Please bear with me.

The last movie was AMAZING. I cried like an absolute baby when Fred died, and then proceeded to do the same for everyone else that kicked the bucket. Snape's scene was heartwrenching.

Anyway! Coming up! Umbridgeitus and Dumbledore's escape! I mean it this time.

Special thanks to:

**Skipperdoodle**

**azngurl113219**

**FoldedPaperHearts**

**wish i had a ****twin**

**The Pirate Princess**

** Devil**

**SerenadeInTheMoonlight**

**The Ranting Queen**

**Snowgirl7589**

**Love From Me**

**IslingtonAngel**

**xXChlerekXx**

Your reviews really made me smile. I will start replying to you individually again in the next chapter, I just wanted to get this one up as soon as possible. Not bad for 40 mins of typing.

Until the next time!


	17. Bad News

**DISCLAIMER: I don't have any rights to the characters other than the ones that are quite obviously not canon. **

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Chapter 17: Bad News

They had arrived back at Hogwarts the previous evening after a journey they never wished to repeat again...ever. The Night Bus sounded exciting but it had been so hair-raising that Verity had almost begged to get off and Disapparate to the school, it would certainly have been less stomach churning than the mixture of frog spawn and cockroaches which had been washing the floor of the vehicle. From the faces of her companions she had realised it had not been just her, Ron had taken on a delicate shade of green. Even her Uncle Lupin had all but leapt off the bus when they reached their destination.

Monday...first day of the new half term, and that meant one thing. Umbridge. Fred, groaning when he remembered that they had the woman first thing for double Against the Dark Arts, swallowed a large Puking Pastille to skive off. The same thing happened on Wednesday at fifth period when George slyly slipped a Nosebleed Nougat into his mouth during her class, resulting in Fred having to take him to the 'Hospital Wing', when in truth they hid in the Room of Requirement until Verity came up after them. She got her turn on Thursday with a piece of Fever Fudge, though it took Fred a while to give her the other end thanks to Umbridge confiscating his bag in the thought that he had contraband within. By the time he forced the remedy between her lips, she was as limp as an overcooked noodle and shivering uncontrollably. When all three were yanked into Professor Umbridge's office on the Friday, they confessed to having been victims of Umbridgeitus, a terrible affliction which came from spending too much time in her company. They all shared detention for the next week. To add insult to injury, Educational Decree Number Thirty went up the next Monday forbidding the possession of Weasley products, the day after they presented their Headless Hats to the Gryffindor Common Room.

Just when they all thought it couldn't get worse, it did. Two weeks later Verity unfurled her copy of The Daily Prophet at breakfast and promptly spat her tea over the table, earning her a string of impressive expletives from Lee who was now looking at his sausages in horror. Further along the table Hermione seemed to have also read the front page judging by the yelp she gave. Angelina peered over to see what had caused them to gape at the paper and stared as she read the article out loud for the rest of the Seventh Years sat around them.

"_Mass breakout at Azkaban. Ministry fears Black is 'rallying point' for old Death Eaters!_" She gasped, taking the paper from her friend who was rather numb with shock, "_Speaking to reporters in his private office, Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, confirmed that ten high-security prisoners escaped in the early hours of yesterday evening_…There's a list…"

The others leaned forward to look at the page of pictures, several insane faces glaring back at them as they screamed silent abuse, each one more deranged than the last. Katie traced each one and murmured the captions, her voice quiet and serious.

"Rookwood, convicted of leaking Ministry of Magic secrets to He Who Must Not Be Named. Bellatrix Lestrange, convicted of the torture and permanent incapacitation of Frank and Alice Longbottom. Dolohov, convicted of the brutal murders of Gideon and Fabian Prewett."

Fred and George's faces grew stony with the mention of the last Death Eater, their hands curling into fists as they turned to each other with a knowing look. The group said nothing but shot them quick glances, wanting to know what had hit a nerve but not wishing to pry into what was obviously a personal issue.

"Gideon and Fabian…they were our Mum's twin brothers…" Fred muttered, his eyes firmly glued to the page, refusing to look at any of his friends.

Angelina reached over to take his hand under the table, giving it a slight squeeze in reassurance, letting him know that she understood. George just sighed, taking the forgotten paper to read on and forget about his uncles.

"_We think it likely that these individuals, who include Black's cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, have rallied around Black as their leader_…"

Lee shook his head, dreadlocks flying in all directions, his issue with the tea covered sausages now forgotten as he looked to Katie. The Chaser looked positively terrified, her face paler than usual and eyes as large as saucers. But that was nothing when they caught sight of Verity. All the colour had drained from her cheeks, eyes unfocused and enormous as she played the words over and over in her head. The Ministry was pinning this on Sirius, they had told the entire country that her Father was behind the breakout of insane murderers and psychopaths. He would never be able to leave Grimmauld Place now. He would never clear his name, not when the whole island thought he was responsible for letting Death Eaters loose.

George put the paper down and gently made her face him, his hands on each cheek as he peered into her numb eyes. Any other day she would have yanked out of his grasp having been a little awkward around the Weasley since the issue with the mistletoe but that was at the bottom of her list right now. Instead she let him manoeuvre her into a hug, albeit a one sided one as she was too shocked to hug him back. Finally pulling away from him she slowly got to her feet, stepping over the bench to stand in the aisle.

"Very? Are you okay?" He asked, the others watching with curiosity, as far as they knew she was upset because one of the Death Eaters mentioned may have been her Father who they knew to be locked up, she had yet to tell anyone other than the twins the truth.

"…No…I…I think I'm going to lie down, not feeling too well…Tell Umbridge I'm sick…" She murmured, sounding distant and pensive as she walked away from them, heading out of the doors.

The Common Room was thankfully empty when she ducked through the portrait hole, most of the students at breakfast or on their way to class, something that she knew she wouldn't be able to deal with at that moment. She was up the stairs and rummaging through her trunk before she caught herself, a quill and parchment in her hand. Was she seriously going to write to him? Shaking her head she sat down on the edge of her bed, hands shaking as she tried to reboot her common sense. There was nothing she could say to him that he didn't already know and she would be damned if she was the one to accidently turn him in by someone intercepting her post. No, she needed to be smarter than that. But how?

The answer struck her a minute later, the girl slapping her forehead as she groaned at her own stupidity. Reaching under her blouse she pulled out the locket that Sirius had gotten her for Christmas, flicking the clasp open with a fingernail to reveal her Mother, complete with a raised brow.

"You have that look on your face again. What daft thing were you about to do?" Athena asked her, the faintest hint of a smile on her lips.

With a sigh Verity cast the writing equipment to the side and lay back on the bed, relaying the headline to her Mother who grew more serious by the minute. After a few minutes of spilling her feelings the girl looked back at the locket, wondering why her Mother was being so quiet only to see her frowning and looking as though she was deep in thought.

"Mum? You still there?" She asked.

"Oh sorry Sweetheart, yes I'm still here. I think the best thing for you to do is put on a brave face, as hard as that may be. I'm over the moon that you've finally made up with your Dad but if anyone finds out that you two are related then that may make your position even harder, especially with that toad of a woman." Athena pulled a face at the mention of Umbridge, "Keep your chin up Darling. I'm always here if you need to get something off your chest. Now, go take a nap, you'll feel better when you wake up."

Shutting the locket with a nod Verity curled up on the bed, sighing as she hugged the pillow to her chest. Her Mother was right, she needed to put the mask back on and keep up the façade. If her classmates got wind of whom her Father was then all Hell would break loose, she didn't even want to think about Umbridge knowing. Closing her eyes she tried to fall asleep, eventually nodding off to the sound of the rain as it hit the windows, her dreams filled with the swirling image of Dementors and the sound of her Father screaming somewhere in the mist.

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Valentine's Day had been and gone, with Angelina forcing the Gryffindor team into practicing all day, meaning that Fred had had to watch from the stands with a face black as thunder. Verity had sat next to him during the practice, trying to cheer him up along with George but then the other redhead had fallen into the same spiral of depression, the three of them sat in silence for the rest of the duration. Harry and Hermione had shown up at the very end of the practice looking rather suspicious but neither of them would say what had happened on their trip to Hogsmeade, instead they had plied the trio with sweet from Honeydukes, something that had certainly taken their minds of the never ending stream of bad luck that seemed to be hanging over Gryffindor Tower.

It wasn't until the first week of March that the three of them realised exactly what the two younger students had done, Fred being the first to find out and running over to the others at the fireplace with a grin as large as the Cheshire Cat's. Plonking himself down in between George and Verity, or rather sitting on top of them and wriggling until they let him onto the already squished sofa, he gathered the rest of the gang with a flick of his hands, beckoning them closer.

"You aren't going to believe what Harry has gone and done. It's brilliant." He whispered loudly, looking over Lee's shoulder to make sure that there was no tell-tale ear nestled in the fire listening in on the conversation like Umbridge liked to do these days, "He's gone and given and interview about what really happened at the Tournament, it's appearing in tomorrow's copy of The Quibbler."

Five pairs of eyes widened at the exact same moment, Katie's hands rising to clap over her open mouth as she gaped at the boy who looked rather pleased with himself for knowing this information. George, on the other hand, immediately started grinning and twisted around to yell across the room to Harry who was sat in the corner with his younger brother.

"Nice one Harry! I'll be reading!" He was rewarded with a nervous smile from Harry and a proud nod from Ron.

"This is going to be interesting. Can't wait until Umbridge reads it." George grinned wickedly before shoving Fred off the sofa and onto the floor, starting yet another pillow-fight.

All six of them were waiting with baited breath the next morning when the post owls flew into the Great Hall, fingers pulling the string off the rolled up papers before flattening them on the table before them, breakfast forgotten.

_HARRY POTTER SPEAKS OUT AT LAST: _

_THE TRUTH ABOUT HE WHO MUST NOT BE NAMED _

_AND THE NIGHT I SAW HIM RETURN._

For the next fifteen minutes the whole middle section of the Gryffindor table was silent, that was until they spotted the large mound of letters that was threatening to swamp Harry. Rolling up their papers once more and shoving them into their bags, or in Lee's case, his belt, they shimmied down the benches to sit beside the younger students, reaching into the pile to help him.

"This woman recommends you try a good course of Shock Spells at St. Mungo's." Said Hermione, looking disappointed and picking up a second.

"This one's in two minds," said Fred, yanking another letter from the pile, "Says you don't come across as a mad person, but he really doesn't want to believe You-Know-Who's back so he doesn't know what to think now. Blimey, what a waste of parchment."

"Okay this woman thinks you've been unfairly treated and…wow…apparently she's written this while on her way to the Ministry to blow up Fudge's office…" Verity blinked, pushing the letter to the ever growing 'crazy' pile.

"What is going on here?" They all turned with a grimace at the falsely sweet, girlish voice behind them, "Why have you got all of these letters, Mr Potter?"

"Is that a crime now?" Said Fred loudly, "Getting mail?"

"Be careful, Mr Weasley, or I shall have to put you in detention." Said Umbridge as Angelina grabbed Fred's hand and shook her head, "Well Mr Potter?"

"People have written to me because I gave an interview about what happened to me last June." Harry replied, throwing the cover of the Quibbler to her.

Her face turned red, then purple and back to red again as she read the headline, her stubby hands shaking with rage. By this point all of the chatter had stopped at the table, the other three quickly following suit when they sensed something was happening, like a shark smelling blood in the water. Even the teachers at the staff table were watching.

"I have tried again and again to teach you not to tell lies. The message, apparently, has still not sunk in. Fifty points from Gryffindor and another week's worth of detentions." She spat as she stalked away, taking the Quibbler with her.

The group sat there in silence for a moment before Ron and Lee began talking loudly about the unfairness of it all, Katie joining in a moment later while brandishing a letter. Verity leaned over and gave Harry a pat on the shoulder, fifty points didn't matter, they had already won a small victory. Hermione had cottoned onto that fact as well, grinning as she did a little dance in her seat. In a couple of hours every student would want to read this month's copy of The Quibbler. And everyone would read the truth.

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A/N: Finally back on a roll! I think I may have my mojo back AND I've found my copy of the book again, took me long enough. So! Am I doing it alright? Please let me know!

Coming up! Patronus teaching and Dumbledore's escape (really this time…I think XD)

xXChlerekXx: Thank you

Skipperdoodle: welcome back lol. As for wanting to know if Verity will turn into a wolf/dog thing…sorry to disappoint but no. Sirius had to learn to be an Animagus so I don't think it would be passed on to his child. However keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter ;)

Please review! Thanks!


	18. Burst Bubbles

**DISCLAIMER: I don't have any rights to the characters other than the ones that are quite obv****i****ously not canon. Verity is all mine!**

**This is based on both the book and film, just in case**** anyone was wondering.**

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Chapter 18: Burst Bubbles

By the time the next DA meeting rolled around they were all fed up and looking forward to learning something new. Classes were now being watched by Umbridge, making it even more difficult for anyone to talk or even learn. Hagrid had been put on probation and Professor Trelawney had completely broken down in the courtyard after the Ministry witch fired her from the teaching staff, resulting in a showdown between herself and Dumbledore. Verity had missed that one completely, having been in the choir room at the time with Professor Flitwick going over the requirements needed to properly conduct a magical orchestra by one's self so she could help run the choir when he was busy. Though she didn't have the Professor for a teacher it didn't stop her feeling sorry for the woman. According to Fred she had looked completely devastated when Umbridge told her to leave, what had been her home, for fourteen years. They all needed something to remind them that all was not lost.

Harry did not disappoint. It took quite a few attempts and several wispy clouds of silver mist, but eventually the room was bouncing with Patroni, all sorts of animals leaping from the ends of wands. Verity watched as first George and then Fred cast the charm, twin weasels suddenly gambolling about their feet in a cheeky fashion which made her laugh loudly. Weasels made too much sense. They both started grinning back at her when her animal burst forth, a shaggy dog, a very big one. Harry stared at her before clapping her on the back in praise and whispered one word.

"...Padfoot..."

They were having so much fun that the clinking chandelier went unheard for the first few times, only when Ron told them all to shut up did they look at the shaking crystal in worry. That had never happened before. It was almost as though something were...

BOOM!

The mirrors covering the hidden door cracked, lines spidering across the surface before shattering and falling to the floor in giant splinters of reflection. Someone was trying to get in. The younger students were quickly ushered behind the Seventh Years, shaking in fright. Everyone drew their wands.

BOOM!

Something tugged at Harry's trouser leg, a small something with bat like ears and a long nose. Ducking down to Dobby's level he grabbed the House Elf's hands, stopping him from attempting to batter himself around the head.

"Dobby stop it! What is it?" Harry asked, his voice hushed as the students behind him watched the door with wide eyes.

"Harry Potter, Sir…Dobby has come to warn you…but the House Elves have been warned not to tell…" The elf shook in terror, his bulging eyes flicking from Harry to the door and back again, "She…she…"

BOOM!

"Umbridge?" Asked Harry, horrified, "What about her? Dobby – she hasn't found out about this – about us – the DA?"

The elf tried to throw himself to the floor, but his hands remained trapped in Harry's grip, nodding violently. Behind them another door had appeared in the East wall, the mirror melting away to reveal the smaller and simpler exit. Stepping forward Hermione put her hand on the handle and opened it. Peering around the edge with the use of a mirror, whispering harshly to the rest.

"There's no one in this corridor! We can get out this way, youngest students first. Don't go to the dormitories; make for the Library or Owlery!" She told them, ushering out the smallest students, making sure that no one was coming down the hall.

BOOM!

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? RUN!" Harry bellowed, "Dobby – this is an order – get back down to the kitchen with the other elves and, if she asks you whether you warned me, lie and say no! And I forbid you to hurt yourself!"

The lights flickered dimly, the chandelier shaking violently as Harry walked forward to see through the hole in the wall behind where the mirrors had just been. Umbridge faced him with the Inquisitorial Squad behind her, a gleeful smile on her face.

"I'll make short work of this." She smiled, raising her wand, "Bombarda Maxima."

Harry turned and sprinted out of the other door just in time. The main door exploded; chunks of stone flying into the room, the dust from the crumbled masonry momentarily obscuring the other exit, giving the DA the time they needed to run for it. Ahead of him he could see a few of the members racing into the Library, their robes billowing out behind them. He only hoped they had the sense to act normal once they got in.

Just a little further down the hallway Hermione ducked into the Girl's bathroom with Ginny and Luna, slamming the door in Fred's face. The redhead cursed and kept running, wondering if his brother had found better luck after splitting up as he turned the corner toward the Owlery, slamming right into Montague who grinned wickedly.

"I've been waiting for this." He leered, his wand pressing against Fred's cheek as the Gryffindor glared back at him, almost urging him to try, "Where's your brother? Aren't you usually together?"

"Is that a problem for you? To be honest your odds are better now with only one of us to kick your arse but I can still do it." Fred told him, hoping that the others hadn't run into any other members of the Inquisitorial Squad, wishing he could send a mental message to his twin, _"Stay in the shadows Georgie…"_

Verity was wishing for the hundredth time that she still wore her flat ballet pumps as she raced down the hallways; the heels that Angelina had given her for Christmas were not meant to run in! Skidding around a corner she saw Fred bang right into Montague and was halfway through voicing a hex when a hand closed around her wrist, yanking her into the gloomy alcove a few feet behind. Turning to face her attacker as they let her go she blinked in shock, his hand quickly moving to cover her mouth as he leaned closer to whisper in her ear.

"Keep quiet Very, Fred knows what he's doing." George told her, listening carefully for anyone else coming their way as he slowly let his hand drop. 

They were stood in the open doorway of a broom cupboard, the remains of old brushes and buckets scattered at their feet. There was barely enough room for the two of them to stand, certainly nowhere to sit. George pulled the door shut, effectively hiding them from view and cutting off the light. Casting a quick Lumos Verity looked up to find his face mere inches from hers, his brown eyes looking at the door, the sound of footsteps softly echoing outside in the corridor. Shifting a little to try and stop the broken broom behind her from sticking in her back she accidently kicked one of the buckets, the loud clanging noise reverberating through the cupboard and no doubt the corridor. George turned back to look at her in horror, his wide eyes mirroring her own as she gasped, and the footsteps now getting quicker.

"Make it believable Very." He whispered, his voice low.

"Make what-" She started to ask before being cut off by his lips pressing against hers.

The wand fell from her hand, landing at her feet in one of the buckets with the light going out, leaving them in pitch darkness. She was more concerned about the boy before her who was currently kissing her, one of his hands reaching up to snake around her neck as it finally dawned on her what he meant. Suddenly glad for the extra height the shoes gave her she let her eyes close, a shiver running down her spine as he pulled her closer, and his other hand moved to the small of her back. The footsteps stopped, the shadow of feet showing in the sliver of light that shone under the door. George immediately deepened the kiss as the handle turned, Verity's heart pounding loudly in her chest as her hands rose to run through his hair.

The door was yanked open roughly. Light spilled in from the corridor, a lit wand pointed at their faces causing them to break apart and wince. Raising a hand to shield her eyes from the brightness Verity made out the form of Draco Malfoy standing before them with a wicked smirk on his face, Pansy Parkinson waiting just behind him.

"Stone and a Weasel in a broom cupboard, can't say I'm surprised but you could have thought of something better." He drawled as he gestured for them to come out. "I know you just came from the Room of Requirement."

"You know nothing Malfoy. Show us the proof." George replied, holding out a hand to help Verity out of the fallen buckets, waiting as she retrieved her wand.

"I don't need any, Professor Umbridge said to round you all up and we are. She already has Potter; he's being expelled as we speak so you'd better not use that wand." He hissed, pointing his own at George, "You'll be the next to go after your twin but Montague is using him for target practice at the moment so you'll have to wait your turn."

Verity's eyes narrowed as she looked at Malfoy, her hand reaching for George's to try and calm him down as his eyes flashed with anger only to have it slapped away by Pansy. About to slap her back she quickly found herself trapped by an Incarcerous spell, twisting midway through the incantation so the ropes erupting from Pansy's wand pulled her left arm behind her back, holding it there in a tight, painful grip. George immediately pointed his own wand at the younger girl, only to find Malfoy aiming his at his face.

"Wand down Weasley, unless you want your girlfriend's arm broken." Malfoy drawled, Verity hissing as the ropes tightened around her.

"…Let her go..." George's voice was very quiet, his eyes hard as he kept his wand where it was against the Slytherin's chest.

"Let me see, hmm, no. You should have lowered your wand." He replied, shrugging his shoulders, "Pansy, do it."

The younger witch grinned wickedly, laughing as her housemate grabbed George's jumper to stop him from lunging at Verity who was frantically trying to twist her wand. Yanking it from her hand Pansy leaned closer to whisper harshly in her prey's ear, stowing the stolen wand in her back pocket.

"I've always wanted to do this to one of you lot." She hissed as she turned her wand.

Verity cried out in pain as the ropes instantly tightened, squeezing her in a death grip, her struggles hindered. Biting down on her lip to keep from making any more noise she looked up and glared at Pansy, her dark honey eyes brimming with liquid rage. George looked as though he was going to lunge for the younger boy, his muscles tensing as he got ready to move only to look up as another voice spoke behind him.

"Mister Malfoy…what is going on here?"

Professor Snape walked toward them from the darkness, his robes billowing behind him as he disarmed George, his wand flying into the teacher's grip. The redhead glared in disgust and anger at the Potions Master before his gaze flicked back to Verity, his trapped housemate giving him a weak smile as she tried to disguise her discomfort.

"We caught them in the broom cupboard pretending they weren't at Potter's secret meeting. Professor Umbridge said to bring them in." His wand remained pointing at George.

"Very well. Take them. And fifty points each from Gryffindor." Snape sighed, handing the wand over to Draco, "Miss Parkinson, as much as I would like to see Miss Black's meddling stopped for a while, loosen your grip on her before you break something."

The girl nodded and released Verity with a disappointed look, the ropes disappearing in a puff of smoke as her prisoner gasped in relief and rubbed her aching arm. But she didn't care about her arm nearly as much as the words Snape had just spoken, staring at him as he walked away down the hall. It was over. Her hidden past had just been ripped away from her in one swift second. She knew as soon as she risked a glance at Malfoy that he had come to the correct conclusion.

"Black? Your name is Black? Now why would you call yourself Stone instead of your real name?" He moved closer, grinning as he spoke, "Unless you were trying to hide who you were, or who you're related to…Sirius Black maybe?"

"Go give a Dementor a kiss, Malfoy!" She yelled, her face turning ashen.

"Oh I don't think so. In fact, I think I'd rather pass on this _fascinating_ information. To the Daily Prophet perhaps?" Pansy cackled loudly as the sneering blonde twirled George's wand in his hand, "Say goodbye to your social life, Black."

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A/N: Hope you liked that little chapter, I told you I'd make an interesting one once I hit 70 reviews. Was it worth the wait?

I thought I'd merge both the versions of this scene because I loved each of them. If you can remember from the film, the Room made another exit when Filch was camped outside the main door so I saw no reason for it not to do it again.

**MaydayParade-ReadingMercat****:** Thank you!

**thebritishone****:** I loved your critique, thank you! I really tried with this fanfic, though it took me a while to get back into the swing of it. Once again, thanks!

**DestinyTaylorDaughterofTime**: ^_^ Glad you like Verity, so do I. Keeping the personalities true is very important to me.

**Skipperdoodle****:** Sorry you're a little confused honey, I'll try harder. Does this make up for it?

**MissLorraineScarlet** : Why thank you kindly.

Coming up! Umbridge is made Headmistress and the tension rises between George and Verity.

**PLEASE REVIEW! It means a great deal to me as it allows me to know what you really think about my writing and how I can improve it.**


	19. Black Moods

**DISCLAIMER: I don't have any rights to the characters other than the ones that are quite obviously not canon. Verity is all mine.**

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**Chapter 19: Black Moods**

Saturday, the start of the weekend and, for most students, a welcome break from the strain of classes despite the piles of homework in their stead. But this weekend was different; this weekend would go down in the history of Hogwarts as the moment when two students turned from loved friends to hated traitors. The story would be in the Daily Prophet that morning, the national newspaper which almost every student, as well as all the staff, were subscribed to, not to mention the whole Wizarding population of the United Kingdom. There was going to be no escape.

The first student shot to infamy after the D.A. debacle; Umbridge had gathered the rebel group in her office to dole out punishment for disobeying Educational Decree Twenty-Four, the disbanding of all unauthorised student groups. It was in that moment that they all found out how they had been caught. Betrayal was the word shadowed in the eyes of the members as they were told in great detail how Cho Chang's friend Marietta had come to the detested Headmistress with tales of rebellion and guilt, needless to say they were far less than happy. Marietta was branded quite visibly as Hermione's curse took effect, the word SNEAK emblazoned across her forehead but it was Cho that got the short straw. The pretty Asian was subjected to the coldest set of shoulders she had ever come across; glares shot across the Great Hall were joined with icy silence, each member of the now destroyed group ignoring her pleas for forgiveness. It was her friend who had caused the problems after all.

Things only got worse when they heard from Harry that Dumbledore had been chased from the school, taking the punishment for their group on his own shoulders and facing the wrath of the Ministry. With McGonagall under watch they were all but helpless against Umbridge's continuing reign of tyranny, though it was now gathering steam with the force of a runaway Hogwarts Express. For four hours the small group of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students sat at individual desks in the Great Hall, each armed with several feet of parchment and a Blood Quill. Not a single person made a sound. Some were worse than others, the youngest students finding this particularly difficult but they bit their lips when catching sight of Harry, the twins and Verity, all of whom had bright red sleeves by the end.

The other student was brought to light at lunchtime, most students choosing to lie in on a Saturday thanks to the lack of classes. It was noon before Verity entered the Great Hall with dark circles under her eyes and her right hand bandaged up tightly to cover the deep wounds left by the Blood Quill they had been forced to use. She paid no attention to the strange looks being cast in her direction, assuming they were due to the news of the capture of the D.A the previous night; it seemed that everyone knew about it by now. Sitting down on the relatively empty Gryffindor bench she poured herself a cup of tea and propped up the Daily Prophet against the teapot to read while she waited for the others, and so it began. The headlines screamed at her in large, bold font half a page high for all to see:

_**BLACK'S HEIR FOUND!**_

_**MASS MURDERER'S DELINQUENT DAUGHTER HOLDS CLUES TO HIS WHEREABOUTS!**_

Verity promptly spat out the mouthful of tea she had just taken, the cup frozen in mid-air as she stared at the front page in utter horror. Everyone around her was watching, whispering, waiting for a reaction; someone was bound to break the uneasy silence that hung over the Great Hall. It was a matter of moments.

"Oy Black!" Someone yelled over from the table of green and silver. "Where's your Daddy?"

It had started. She slowly brought her now tepid tea to her lips and took a nervous gulp, her hands shaking slightly to splash the table with more of the cups contents. There was no point in replying, the Daily Prophet had made their point and opinion abundantly clear to the whole nation, one which everyone else would no doubt follow in the next day or so. Her worried brown eyes flicked over to the dais where Umbridge sat smiling sweetly at her, she knew then that the woman would have to pay, it was all her fault. After the D.A detention the Headmistress had pulled her into her office where the girl was horrified to be met with Rita Skeeter, to her utter dismay the toad-faced woman had taken great pleasure in telling the vile reporter how the girl stood before her held clues needed to track the country's most famous killer. All they needed was a vial of Veritaserum. The Gryffindor could have hugged Professor Snape when he entered and informed the Ministry witch that he had no more supplies but she remained frozen to the spot and kept her mouth shut, ignoring each question thrown at her. Of course that had meant yet another two hours of detention but Verity knew a mutilated hand was the better option being presented to her.

"Shut up Parkinson! No one wants to hear your whiny voice; it puts everyone off their food!"

The loud voice next to her made Verity jump, cold tea sloshing down the front of her white t-shirt, it was definitely one way to jolt someone out of their thoughts. Angelina grabbed her wand and muttered a quick drying spell but the damage was done, a lovely brown stain now decorating her friend's chest.

"Oh Merlin, I'm sorry Verity! I didn't mean to-" She started but stopped as the other girl shook her head.

"It's fine Ange. It's the least of my worries today." She whispered, nodding to the paper as she buttoned up her grey cardigan so it hid the stain from view.

"She's a spy for him!"

"Definitely suspicious. She told us her surname was Stone."

"I bet she was the one that let him into the castle that year he escaped!"

"I SAID SHUT UP! And Lister, she wasn't even here then!" Angelina roared, standing up and turning to glare at those who dared to speak.

"Or what? Going to get her Dad to take care of us?" Pansy taunted, earning a loud burst of laughter from the Slytherins.

Verity got to her feet and quickly walked from the hall as fast as her feet could take her, pushing past the twins who stared after her in confusion. As soon as she had a clear path she ran, her heels silenced by their cushioning charm, something she was thankful for now. The shouts followed her, chasing her down corridor after corridor until she no longer knew where she was or where she was headed. Each corner was another step away from the hell in the hall, each person she passed was another face she didn't need to deal with. If she kept running then perhaps she could find a place that was far, far away from all this madness. If she just ploughed on then perhaps she would wake up from this nightmare.

Going outside was too obvious and the dormitory was a no go, so she went up. Her feet ached horribly but she kept going, spurred on by the whispers she heard in the corners and stairwells. Eventually she ran out of road. Manicured fingers gripped the thick stone balustrade of the Astronomy Tower battlements, nothing but air in front of her and silence. Walking toward the edge she took a shaky breath and sank to the flagstones, half hidden in one of the open niches usually filled by telescopes, swinging her legs over the edge into thin air. Beneath her she could see the small figures of her classmates milling in the courtyard, the wind whipping her hair into an impossible tangle. Closing her eyes she laid her head against the half wall and hid from the world.

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A/N: So! Once again I apologise! I was in Australia from September through to October and had an absolutely wonderful time! I was over there to meet my boyfriend for the first time and his family. I am happy to report that we are very much a happy couple and now planning for me moving there permanently! Since I got back I've been trying to get out of holiday mode, catching up at work and generally being flattened by Xmas prep. **So I am SO SO SO SO sorry. **I love you all dearly!

What did you think of the chapter? There is going to be a twist in the next one, I just hope it delivers okay seeing as it's the result of many hours of boredom at work.

**tOrNaDoChAsEr11****:** Love that you had a "No more chapters!" moment XD Hope this makes up for it!

**miller330****:** I think I let it breathe a little too much lately! Time to crack the whip and churn this baby out!

**Madi:** It loves you too!

**Ailish Oriana****:** Hope you weren't too disappointed with her being in Gryffindor. Verity IS smart enough to be in Ravenclaw but she doesn't think she is and thus why her other qualities landed her in with the cool gang. Though on Pottermore I'm a Ravenclaw if that helps?

**Red red red ribbon**** :** One update as requested!

**snitchseeker97**: More chapters? More? Of course! What do you take me for? A slacker? Yeah me too XD

**ellabellabee****:** Glad I could provide such 'wonderfulness'! If it wasn't a word before, it is now!

**.heaRt****:** Merlin's Beard! Whatever Makes You Break sent you? I owe her a kickass audio chapter now. I'm so glad you like it! And hers! Her 'Crossed' series is inspiring.

**NEXT CHAPTER:** Something lurks in the dark and the Fred completely loses his head. Tune in! Oh and **REVIEW!** They are much loved and wanted.


	20. Thunderstorm Tempers

**DISCLAIMER: I don't have any rights to the characters other than the ones that are quite obviously not canon.**** WARNING: This chapter may be distressing to some people.**

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**Chapter 20: Thunderstorm Tempers**

Fred Weasley raced along the third floor corridor, his footsteps smacking loudly off the uncovered stone beneath him as he pushed his way through the students who dared to get in his way. Whacking his injured hand off one very unfortunate Hufflepuff who came out of a classroom at the wrong moment caused him to stop and curse loudly at anyone who was close enough to hear, the poor girl responsible quickly running off before he turned his temper on her. The last time anyone had seen the boy in such a foul mood had been the night that Umbridge banned George, Harry and himself from playing Quidditch, it was not something his friends liked seeing.

"Fred! Hey Fred! Have you found her?"

Angelina stopped beside him, bending to brace her hands against her knees as she tried to catch her breath after trailing all over the castle. The others followed moments later, George leading the way as Katie and Lee half ran to keep up with his long strides. They all looked worried as the ancient bell in the tower above the main doors chimed for three o'clock.

"No sign of her. Did you check the dorm Ange?" Fred asked, running his fingers through his hair as he looked over at the girl beside him.

"First place I looked, Katie double checked not five minutes after." She sighed, straightening up again as they started to walk toward the courtyard entrance from the cloisters, "I can't believe the Daily Prophet printed that crap. Why would they do such a thing? It's disgusting."

"Where the bloody hell is Harry?" George scowled, looking up at the darkening sky, storm clouds towering miles high above the lake and moving closer, "We needed that map two hours ago. Is he still in detention?"

Katie nodded with a sigh, grimacing as the first peal of thunder rippled across the sky like a bad omen. A mere moment later and the skies opened, rain pouring down on the exposed courtyard in a torrential downpour, icy water falling in sheets to drench the stones in seconds. The only place they hadn't looked was outside, be it in the grounds or on the battlements of the many towers that littered the Hogwarts skyline. By the look of it they wouldn't be searching those for a while, not unless they suddenly sprouted gills or pulled umbrellas from their pockets.

George glared at the rain and pulled his wand from his pocket, another roar of thunder crackled above as the Lumos charm came into effect. Zipping up his jacket he turned up the collar and walked into the rain, flinching as the cold hit his exposed face. Matching him stride for stride Fred followed his brother into the dismal weather, light bursting from the tip of his wand to help brighten the gloomy courtyard, shadows jumping out at them from the cloisters. They said nothing as they followed the path out to the covered bridge, red hair now darkly slicked down by the rain, no words were needed. Whether it took a few minutes or another couple of hours, they were going to find her.

High above them on the Astronomy Tower balcony Verity huddled in the alcove in the wall as the rain started to fall on her head, soaking her to the skin within minutes. The thunder had woken her only moments before, the girl nearly falling out of the niche in fright as the noise made her jump. Now she was struggling to her feet, the wet clothes she wore hampering her movements as she gripped the low balustrade, inching her way back to the covered part of the tower roof. Pale hands wrapped around her arms, rubbing to try and warm herself up while she walked to the door, the lightening leading the way. Shaking the water from her eyes she grabbed the handle of the door that lead to the stairs and turned it. It didn't budge. Frowning in confusion she tried again, this time the other way but still nothing. Had she locked it when she first ran in? Perhaps she had done so without realising, her thoughts still very much preoccupied with the students reaction to the newspaper at the time.

"Alohamora!" The spell hit the handle but again it remained jammed. "What the hell?"

"Good evening Sleeping Beauty." A voice called from behind her.

Spinning around in fright Verity held up her wand only for it to fly out of her grip as a Stinging Hex hit her hand, the sharp pins and needles feeling racing up her fingers. She knew that voice, but from where? The storm had turned the sky dark, the half covered tower full of shadows and gloom, perfect for someone to hide in. It was like something from a nightmare. Perhaps that was what this was, she was still sleeping. No, she told herself silently, she knew who stalked her nightmares and this was not him, this was a different breed of nasty.

Rubbing her aching hand with her bandaged one she darted into the nearest shadows, using the desks and pillars as a way to get away from the door where she knew he would be expecting her. His laughter rang out around her, the thunder making it seem even more threatening as she crawled slowly under one of the desks, waiting for each burst of light before darting to the next. The gap between them was growing now; she could hear his footsteps moving to the other side of the classroom. If she could only get to the balcony then she could get around the other side where he wouldn't be able to see her and scramble onto the roof. From there she hadn't got a clue where she would go but it was better than sitting behind a bookcase hoping he wouldn't find her.

"Come on Stone, I'm not going to hurt you. How could I forget? I meant Black. Come out here and let me help you downstairs."

Montague. Graham Montague, the Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team and royal pain in her backside. He had cornered her several times before, the most memorable one being before the ill-fated match when the twins and Harry had been banned for jumping Malfoy but never like this. This was not a mean act, this was calculated and cruel. It made her blood run cold to think of the lengths he had gone to plan this, no doubt following her from the Great Hall that afternoon. There was no way she was going with him.

Edging out onto the balcony she sat for a moment with her back against one of the pillars which held up the roof of the classroom, her breath catching in her throat as she heard him start to walk back towards her direction. The lightening flashed across the sky in wide forks, her pale face looking haunted as she was briefly illuminated, though thankfully out of his view. Keeping low to the ground she crawled across the wet flagstones, her tights ripping on the uneven edges as she made her way around the balcony, flattening each time the lightening crackled.

"You know, you're really beginning to get on my nerves now. Just be a good girl and come out, I want to help you." The sarcasm dripped from his words, only emphasised by the dark chuckle that followed them.

"Liar!" She yelled, immediately clapping her hand over her mouth, the words spilling from her lips in a rage before she got a hold of herself.

The footsteps stopped, time froze, her heartbeat pounding loudly in her ears with each shaking breath she took. Slowly, cautiously, she began to move again, inching around the pillar with her back to the room, careful not to make any sudden movements which might alert him to her presence. But she could not avoid the storm. The lightening flashed brightly above the tower again, this time catching her as he turned to look over at the spectacle, a grin spreading across his face. Scrambling to her feet she spun, facing him as he began to walk toward her, keeping her eyes on him the whole time.

"There you are." He smirked, his wand rising to point at her, a beam of light shining from the tip to make her shield her eyes, "Looking a little worse for wear, eh?"

"What do you want, Montague?" She asked, constantly looking around her for something she could use against him.

"What do you think? I want to help you with your…situation." He took another step toward her.

"I seem to be in a few of them right now, which one are you speaking about?" Her right hand grazed the stone wall that ran around the tower balcony, letting her know where she was.

"Let's talk business, shall we? You need someone to shut the Slytherins up about your famous Dad and I'm offering to do that. All I want in return is a kiss."

Verity's eyes narrowed, her lips curling in disgust as she stepped back once more, keeping her hand on the wall as a guide. The request would have made her laugh had it not been for the glint in his beady eyes, that look making the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. He was serious, and she was hardly in a position to fight someone as large and burly as him. Fighting had never been her strong point, at Beauxbatons she had excelled in Charms and Potions, skills that were unlikely to come in handy anytime soon seeing as her wand now lay in a dusty corner of the classroom. She needed to find a way out of there that didn't involve getting her face punched in.

"I'd sooner kiss a House Elf." She hissed, anger flashing in her dark eyes.

"That's not very nice now is it? You're not really in a position to say no, Black." He cast a glance down at the slick stones beneath their feet, "A person could slip on these, if they're not careful they might even fall right through that hole behind you."

She quickly looked over her shoulder to see what he was talking about and gasped in horror as she saw the gap in the wall, the very one she had fallen asleep in mere hours before. All this time he had been backing her up toward it, cornering her against the long drop that lead to a messy end on the flagstones below. She was trapped.

Montague placed his free hand on the stone wall beside her and leaned forward, his face now close enough for her to feel his hot breath on her skin. If she fell backwards then she would certainly not live to tell the tale, but kissing him was something she couldn't bring herself to do. The very idea made her retch.

"The whole school knows who you are now. No one would be surprised if you jumped off the Astronomy Tower and ended it all. And we both know the Headmistress will believe me over you."

Verity gripped the wall with white knuckled hands, tightly holding on for dear life as she calmly spat in his face, the rage evident in her eyes. Before she could say anything his fist was swinging toward her, the force of the blow to her cheek sending her reeling, staggering back into the abyss. Arms wind-milling wildly she blindly grabbed from something, anything to keep her from falling, his hands suddenly gripping her wrists. The large Slytherin leaned forward, keeping her bent backwards into the rain and over the edge so she was reliant on him, the sick smirk on his lips once more.

"If you're not going to give me one, I guess I'll just take it." He whispered and yanked her to him.

The soaked girl struggled in his grip as his lips mashed against hers, bile rising in her throat as she wriggled and writhed like a wild thing, trying to pull away. His fingers tightened on her wrists, grinding the delicate bones together as she cried out, her screams muffled by his lips and the thunder pealing through the air. The next thing she knew she was falling but this time it was forward, Montague crashing to the floor hard, his head making a sick cracking noise as it hit the stones. Large, freckled hands slid beneath her, lifting her off the groaning boy and onto solid ground, her body shaking as she clung to whomever they belonged to.

"Easy now. I've got you, love." A voice whispered in her ear, the relief at hearing it flooding her, making her knees give out.

George caught her before she fell, wrapping an arm around her waist to keep her upright, his eyes as cold as ice as he watched Montague sit up. He didn't get very far. Fred grabbed his collar and glared into the larger boy's eyes before sinking his fist into his stomach, payback for the bruises that covered his face from the beating he had been given the night before. Not only was he taking revenge for himself but also for the girl who was now crying in his brother's arms, the sound of her sobs drowned out by the storm. His twin pulled Verity closer to him, cradling her against his chest to make sure she couldn't see the thrashing Fred was giving her attacker; she didn't need to watch it, not after what she had been through already that day.

"George…" She whispered, her voice scratchy from screaming, "How...how did you know where I was?"

"The map. We would have been here sooner but Harry was in detention with Umbridge until four…it's no excuse, we should have looked harder." His words shook with anger, a deep rumble of rage, "If you want I can ask Fred to stop…though I wouldn't blame you if you didn't."

"But I would!"

They turned to see Umbridge standing there with a triumphant expression on her toad-like face, Snape accompanying her much to their dismay. Fred huffed in annoyance and got to his feet, wiping his bloodied hands on his now sodden jeans, walking over to his brother with hatred burning in his brown eyes. He had been caught red-handed pounding a member of the Inquisitorial Squad into a pulp; there was no way he was getting out of a detention. Shrugging his jacket off George wrapped it around Verity's shoulders and began to walk toward the door, ignoring Umbridge when she pointed her wand at the three of them.

"Stop right there! You have been found guilty of bullying and I won't stand for it! Snape, take this boy to the Hospital Wing. And you three, you-" The Headmistress started.

"We are going back to Gryffindor Tower before Verity collapses. You'll find us there tomorrow if you want to give us detention." Fred told her, shaking his head in disappointment as they left the tower, the door closing behind them with a loud click, his voice echoing through it, "Goodnight."

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**A/N: **Well! That was a little different, eh? I hope it didn't distress people too much. I thought of it at work and the idea just wouldn't go away so I ran with it. Consider it breaking point for the twins, you'll see what I mean in the next couple of chapters!

**Aislinn Elizabeth** (aka, Luna Rose Lily): Thanks for the review! I know the last one was short so I hope this was a bit better for you.

**LadyParabellum**: I would fly away too but poor Very is scared of flying! Guess I'll have to find another way for her to escape it all.

**.heaRt**: Here's your update!

**Lucyana12**: I cured boredness? Oh goody! I wondered why I wasn't bored today at work while I was scribbling away!

**COMING NEXT!** The twins set The Great Escape into motion and Verity finds out something that will change her future forever.


	21. Complex Charms

DISCLAIMER: I don't have any rights to the characters other than the ones that are quite obviously not canon.

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**Chapter 21: Complex Charms **

The Sunday morning arrived in a whirl of icy mist and cold toes, the sales of illicit Butterbeer sales hitting the roof before lunchtime. Verity had managed to crawl out of bed only after Angelina and Katie threatening to pour water over her; needless to say she wasn't best pleased. The events of the night previous were still fairly low on the school's social radar, most students still gobsmacked over the news that Dumbledore been driven out of the castle by the Minister and replaced by Umbridge. At least that was what Katie had told her when she came back up the stairs to fetch her scarf, but when Verity made her way down to the Common Room for lunch all eyes were suddenly on her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, a shiver running down her spine as the whispers started about what had happened the previous night on the Astronomy Tower, quickly followed by the familiar assumptions about her Father. Her own eyes darted around the room, all sounds fading as her thundering heartbeat took over, thumping in her ears until it was all she could here. Stumbling backwards she felt blindly for the entrance to the staircase, about to turn and run when a warm hand took hers.

"Hey…you weren't thinking about heading back to bed were you?" George asked as he gave her a wide smile, instantly calming her nerves.

"I was thinking about it…" She admitted, her voice low as she smiled weakly back, letting him pull her towards the Portrait Hole.

"Well, I'd love to let you but I know for a fact that you skipped all your meals yesterday and I'm not about to let you miss another."

"Not to mention your stomach is agreeing with him." Fred quipped with a grin as he met them on the staircase, "You eat more than the two of us combined!"

Verity felt her cheeks heating up in a blush, her face burning further when her stomach decided to chime along with an almighty roar, the twins bursting into laughter as she groaned. George shook his head and led the way into the Great Hall, her hand in his the entire time as he rubbed his thumb over the raised letters scarring the back of her hand. More whispers followed them but most simply looked over. Verity promptly walked into George's back as he suddenly stopped, blinking as she peered around to see why he had halted. Little Colin Creevey was standing before them, eyes wide and smile matching Fred's. Without further ado he swept a deep bow and then snapped a photo of the three of them much to their confusion.

"You are amazing!" He blurted out, reaching forward to shake Fred's hand and then George's, "The search for your friend was epic! And the fight with that gorilla of a Slytherin…can I have your autographs? I'd just like to say on behalf of all Gryffindors that we're still proud of you Verity, who cares what happened in your past."

She was dumbfounded, left staring at Colin while the twins grinned and scribbled their names on the parchment he was now holding out, she was sure she saw them add the name of their shop at the bottom too. Still trying to comprehend what was happening it was a while before she realised what the others at the table were doing, her gaze slowly rising to follow each person who stood up. Seventh years to First years, within minutes the whole table was standing up applauding the twins and smiling over at her, nods of approval and pride directed her way. They didn't care who her Father was or what the Daily Prophet had said, she was a Gryffindor and one of them. Taking a deep breath to control herself she gave them all a small smile only to turn around when Colin tugged her hand. Across from them Cho Chang had got to her feet, dragging her friends up too to join in with the clapping.

"What the…" She whispered, staring outright now.

"Hogwarts sticks together." Colin replied simply, his cheesy grin infectious as she started laughing.

Shaking her head she slowly sank onto the Gryffindor bench, Fred already piling food on her plate as she nodded to Colin. What a morning. Up at the Professor's table Umbridge was silently fuming, her glare boring into Verity's back but she resisted the urge to turn and smile back at her; there was no point in angering the woman further. Instead she picked up a sandwich and bit into it, shutting herself up for the time being. Looking down the table and spotting Harry, Ron and Hermione she made to wave and stopped, seeing that they were staring at something behind Professor Sprout. Leaning forward a little she caught sight of what held their attention. The hourglasses which held the gemstones representing the House points were depleting at a rapid rate, the only house into which stones were still pouring was Slytherin, even as she watched the Gryffindor one lost more, rubies flying up into the upper bulb.

"Noticed, have you?" Said Fred's voice.

"Malfoy just docked us all about fifty points," Harry fumed, watching as even more stones were lost from their hourglass.

"Yeah Montague tried to do us during break." Said George.

"What do you mean, 'tried'?" Said Ron quickly.

"He never managed to get all the words out," Said Fred, "Due to the fact we forced him head-first into that Vanishing Cabinet on the first floor.

Verity promptly choked on her pumpkin juice, spluttering as George pounded a large palm on her back. Wiping her mouth with a napkin she turned to stare at the redhead who merely shrugged, Fred giving her an identical one when she looked at him afterwards. Hermione shook her head with a gasp of horror, her face paling as she leant forward to hiss at them.

"But you'll get into terrible trouble!" She said, clearly shocked.

"Not until Montague reappears, and that could be weeks, I dunno where we sent him," Fred said coolly, "Anyway…we've decided we don't care about getting into trouble anymore."

"George…you shoved him into the freaking Vanishing Cabinet?!" Verity hissed, grabbing his arm tightly as she kept her voice low.

The boy gently extracted his arm from her nails with a nod, squeezing her fingers briefly before pouring her another goblet of juice. Across from them Lee leaned forward but not before looking around conspiratorially at Angelina and Katie. From the looks of things the three friends had pieced together everything and were more than willing to get involved.

"Psst, Verity." Lee called.

"What?" She hissed back, leaning closer to hear him better, her elbow nearly going into a bowl of crisps before Katie yanked it out of her way.

"I'd say he got off lightly with the cabinet seeing as rumour has it he tried to shove you off the Astronomy Tower." The boy smiled solemnly, the girls either side of him nodding, "Give the guys a break once in a while, they deserve a bloody medal for silencing that arsehole."

Her cheeks flamed darkly as she took in his words, knowing that what he said was more than true. She didn't have to turn and look to see the smug grin on George's face; she knew it would be there. Instead she sighed and nodded, reaching for her, now full, goblet and took another gulp, this time without choking as she listened back in on the conversation.

"– We reckon a bit of mayhem – " said George.

"– Is exactly what our dear new Head deserves," said Fred.

She groaned and laid her head on the table for a moment, knowing exactly what they were getting at even if the others didn't. A warm hand on her left shoulder made her look up again, Fred's grinning face in her own as he got to his feet. A movement from her right signalled George doing the same, a wink directed at her as they pushed their plates away from them. Phase One was about to begin. Downing the rest of her juice she swung her legs over the bench and hurriedly got to her feet too, frowns appearing on their twin faces.

"Anything to do with what?" said Hermione anxiously.

"You'll see." Said George, leading the way out of the Great Hall with a grin.

Leaving a table full of confused Gryffindors behind them, the three made their way past the lunch crowd and toward the Common Room in silence. Suddenly the boys came to an abrupt halt, and Verity, not looking where she was going, promptly walked into the back of Fred with a thump. Before she could ask what the holdup was all about she was unceremoniously yanked into a nearby doorway and plunged into darkness. Only the reassuring presence of the two boys made the situation bearable until George lit up alcove with a hastily cast Lumos. She groaned quietly as she recognised where they were, a blush staining her cheeks as she remembered the last time she had had to hide in the broom cupboard and what had happened during those events.

"Very…you need to go back with the others." Fred sighed, sitting down on an upturned bucket.

"Yeah, you can't be with us while we do this, it's too risky." George said, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets.

"What…?" Verity gasped, eyes wide as she looked at each of them in turn, "Are you serious?"

"Listen Verity, if it was any other prank you know we'd have no problem with you helping. In fact you'd probably be the one to come up with the idea! But – " George sighed,

"– There's too much riding on this. Not just for us but you as well." Fred told her as she sat down heavily on a three legged stool.

"What are you getting at? There's something else to this, isn't there? Something that I don't know…" She murmured, feeling as though she had just been thumped in the ribs.

"There's something…yes." Fred replied, reaching over and taking her hands in his, "Believe us, we'd rather have your help in this but there is something way more important at stake. Let us do this and don't follow us, we need you to go and find Flitwick instead."

"Professor Flitwick? What does he have to do with any of this?" She sighed, her shoulders slumping.

"Everything." George said quietly, "Trust us Very; you need to go and see him. Please…make sure you're nowhere near us this afternoon, the guys are going to need you here afterwards."

Getting to her feet she let Fred's hands slide from hers, taking a deep breath and gathering her thoughts together. At least as best as she could in a poky broom cupboard. Opening her eyes again she gave the twins a weak smile, still feeling as though they had ripped the carpet out from under her feet. Giving them a curt nod she opened the door and left, ignoring the quiet murmur of her name that followed her. If they wanted her to be elsewhere when putting the plan into action then they had a good reason for it, even if she didn't agree with them. The only way to find out what was going on was to do what they wanted which is why she was making a beeline for the Charms classroom on a Sunday.

Taking a deep breath she raised a hand to knock and quite nearly fell head over heels as the door was yanked open moments before she struck the wood, managing to grab the doorframe before she fell into the room. Looking down she blinked, seeing no one but quickly remembering who she was coming to see, no doubt the Professor had opened it from a distance as per usual. Stepping into the quiet classroom she turned and closed the door behind her, the sound of the latch falling into place echoing around the room. Verity felt the weight on her shoulders lift a little, the familiar smells of parchment and gunpowder reaching her nose as she walked further into the room, a smile appearing on her face when her eyes landed on the small man sitting on the floor.

"Miss Black, come in, come in. I was expecting you." He called out, looking up with a smile, "Pull up a stool if you wish, the floor is a little dusty after all."

Verity shook her head and walked over, choosing to sink to the ground instead, figuring that if the floor was good enough for him then who was she to turn her nose up. He was sitting before a complex chalk circle, various objects placed on the whirling lines, their significance as a whole unknown to her but very familiar on their own. Whatever he was working on would pack a serious shielding defence. Making sure she didn't knock any of the items or smudge the chalk she took a deep breath and spoke, her fingers laced together nervously.

"Professor...what's going on?" She asked quietly as he continued working on the design.

"The Ministry is interfering, but surely you already knew that." He laughed squeakily, "I have a feeling that the next couple of years are going to be hard ones for Hogwarts, we are going to be sorely tried by both our own Government and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named….yes, yes, I know he's back. More to the point, I believe Mr Potter. Now, the question you should be asking is not 'what is going on' but rather 'how can I help?'"

"I'm afraid I don't quite understand Professor…help with what?" She asked, clearly confused.

"I sense a great deal of potential in you Miss Black, your fate holds something far greater than pranking, though your attempts along with the Mr Weasley's are impressive." He looked over at her and placed his chalk on the ground, "There will come a day, sometime very soon I fear, where I shall have to step down as Professor of Charms for Hogwarts."

Verity looked at him in horror, her jaw gaping as she listened to his words. What was he hinting at? Surely the situation of the staff was not that bad, he was practically a constitution at Hogwarts! Then she remembered the lesson they had had a couple of weeks previous when Umbridge had sat in, the questions she had asked, the way she had acted around him. Her Uncle's words rang in her ears from a conversation they had had at Christmas, something about the Headmistress both fearing and despising what she called half breeds, any creature, witch or wizard who was not entirely human. Her blood ran cold and she looked back at her Professor again with a set jaw.

"I see you understand my meaning. Miss Black, if things continue along these lines then I shall have no choice but to leave Hogwarts. My only hope is by then Professor Dumbledore will have regained control of the school. When this happens I want him to appoint you as Professor of Charms." The short man smiled at her widely, "Now before you say anything let me finish. You are, of course, still a student here for another few months but I have already taken the liberties of contacting Madame Maxime of the Beauxbatons Academy to arrange an internship at her school for you next year. All that is left is for you to decide."

She stared at him again, her composure dropping once more as she heard the last part of his plan. Teaching? Hogwarts? Beauxbatons? Somewhere in amongst those was her reply, though she was finding it difficult to find it. On one hand she could follow her love of Charms and teach at the school which had become her home, on the other she could leave it all behind and join the twins as planned in their shop as a partner. Her heart yearned to go for the latter but she then remembered what they had said in the broom cupboard, there was something more important at stake, that she would be needed at Hogwarts. Once she remembered that the answer was obvious. Taking a deep breath she looked at the Professor and nodded, a small smile on her face.

"Sign me up Professor. It would be an honour."

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**A/N: Sorry it's taken an age to update guys, I constantly feel as though I'm posting excuse after excuse up here. Bad Rose! BAD! Anyway, I am back and posting again. I also have this story up in the Library at MyHogwarts if any of you are on there, feel free to add me and recommend my 'book'! So, a little info winging your way. The reason I have been away for so long is because I got promoted! I am no longer the Fitting Room girl! Instead I am a manager, or will be once I get signed off this week, cross your fingers for me. I also moved house, nay, not just house but countries. I now live in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England (Stonehenge for some of you who don't know where that is). Loving life now and have a possible new love interest so all is looking rosy. Cheers for bearing with me.**

**Hope you liked the new chapter, I realise it was a little out of the blue but I had been thinking of that idea for MONTHS! It will make more sense as we go on, trust me. Oh and if I go all quiet again then pester me with reviews. **

**A thousand thanks once again to my lovely, loyal readers, you are amazing.**

**Coming up!: The Great Escape and a stolen kiss.**


	22. George's Goodbye

DISCLAIMER: I don't have any rights to the characters other than the ones that are quite obviously not canon.

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**Chapter 22: George's Goodbye**

Verity emerged from the Charms classroom in a daze, her head reeling with the information that Professor Flitwick had just bestowed on her, along with the newly set out destiny he had devised especially for her. It was enough to make her head hurt. As a result she was not looking where she was going and immediately banged into someone as she turned the corner, finding herself suddenly staring at the ceiling. A groan from a few feet away brought her back to her senses, slowly sitting up as she rubbed the back of her head with her bandaged left hand. Katie Bell was sprawled out on the floor beside her, a stack of books now scattered over the flagstones along with a smashed Easter egg. Wincing in sympathy Verity quickly got to her feet and helped her friend up, dusting off the smudges from her jumper before she saw them. Thankfully Katie just started laughing, shaking her head as she saw the ruined chocolate egg.

"Oh well, it would have ended up in pieces anyway. You alright chum?" She asked, stooping to pick up her books.

"Am I alright? I was the one that ran you over Katie," Verity sighed, helping to fetch the last of the books, "Sorry about that, head in the clouds."

"That's not like you. What's on your mind?" Her friend questioned as they started walking, passing a few robed students who were running for the Great Hall.

The end of year exams had started on Friday and, for reasons unbeknownst to the student population, the teachers had chosen to ignore the usual tradition of relaxing on the weekend to simply press on with the tests much to the disappointment of the children. It meant that right after meals everyone was kicked out of the hall as it was filled with row after row of chairs and single desks set exactly four feet from each other to dissuade cheating. Today had consisted of the O.W.L's for Theory of Divination and Theory of Charms, the latter of which was just about to start, she silently wished Harry, Ron and Hermione good luck. They were going to need it, rumour had it that Umbridge was sitting in on every single exam. Shaking her head to clear it Verity turned back to her friend who was now looking at her strangely as they walked, munching on a bit of broken chocolate which bore the letters "EE X".

"Sorry, what?" She asked.

"I asked what you were thinking about, it's not like you to zone out, Fred yes, you no. If it's about your N.E.W.T's then you should stop worrying, you're going to be fine." Katie told her through the mouthful of chocolate, holding out a piece for her.

"Nah, it's not that, I'm fine with those. It's nothing to worry about." She replied, taking the chocolate and popping it in her mouth.

"A boy then?" The younger girl's eyes started shining wickedly, "Is it George?"

Verity promptly choked on the chocolate, spluttering loudly as her friend laughed, a hand quickly thumping her on the back until she managed to gasp out a shaky 'no'. Only after she pressed her hands to flaming cheeks did she become aware of Lee's presence beside her, it had been him to stop her from dying a chocolaty death. His grin matched Katie's exactly and Verity was not sure what scared her most, that or the fact that the twin's best mate had just slung his arm around her shoulders.

"Ah, young love! How he ever managed to bag someone as fine as you is beyond me though, did you Confund him?" Lee asked as Verity turned bright red.

"Where the hell has this come from?!" She demanded, throwing his arm off her, "George is a mate, nothing more for Merlin's sake!"

"You sure about that? Cause I've heard otherwise." He drawled, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Heard what? From who? Spill it Jordan before I make you." Her wand was out in a flash and sparking.

"Whoa…no need for torture, Umbridge does enough of that. As for who I heard it from, that is a secret which I shall take to the grave, though they do have the reddest hair I've ever seen." Lee grinned.

The brunette groaned loudly and laid her head against the wall, that hint had not helped in the slightest, not with a school full of Weasleys! Lee patted her back sympathetically before sinking onto the top step of the Entrance Hall staircase with Katie, the grin still firmly fixed on his face. Verity had just turned around and was about to threaten him with a Jelly-Legs Jinx until he confessed when something suddenly shot past her in a blaze of pink fire, her brown eyes blinking in surprise as she tried to tell herself that she had not just seen a winged piglet. She watched as the mini fireball disappeared below into the Entrance Hall, slowly following it to the bannister and peering down into what could only be called pandemonium.

Green and gold dragons were roaring through the hall, made up entirely of crackling sparks, bangs and whistles trailing after in their wake as they escaped into the corridors. Five feet wide Catherine Wheels in shocking pink spun wildly in the air and rockets with trailing silver tails whooshed past the gathering crowd of students. Enchanted sparklers were dancing mid-air spelling out any number of swear words and firecrackers were exploding left, right and centre as far as she could see. There were only three people who could have possibly rigged this scenario and seeing as she was one of them it was suddenly narrowed down to a pair of ginger twins. Shaking her head as she started grinning she watched, the fireworks gaining energy and momentum instead of fizzling out; to say she was impressed was an understatement.

Laughing wildly she clapped her hands and ran for the stairs, taking them two at a time as she ran into the fray, Lee and Katie close behind her. The chocolate egg was left at the top of the stairs forgotten. As if by some unseen cue the doors to the Great Hall were flung open, the crowd of fireworks immediately dancing inside to wreak havoc amongst the students currently sitting their exam. Umbridge stood in the doorway dumbfounded, her jaw dropping as she took in the scene, the hall rocked by the continuous explosions. Verity had to hold onto Lee to keep from falling over as she tried to catch her breath, near doubled over in giggles while Katie blinked at the sparkled before her which was spelling out the word "POO!" in vivid green fire. A loud whoosh shot over their head, causing them to look up in surprise as Fred and George flew over Umbridge on their confiscated brooms, Fred's trailing a chain and iron peg which the Headmistress had to duck to avoid.

"What is happening?" A voice asked in her ear, making her jump.

"Ange! It's the boys! Isn't it amazing? They must have used their entire stock of Wildfire Whizbangs for this!" She grinned.

"They're actually nuts. I mean, I knew they were but this…they're going to get expelled for this…I love it!" Angelina laughed as a piglet flew past her to pester Mrs Norris, the cat hissing at the sparkling pink thing.

Expelled. Verity's grin faded as the word echoed in her head, what was it the boys had said earlier? Too risky. Make sure you are nowhere near us this afternoon. Her eyes widened as she suddenly realised what they were doing, it was what they had planned together over the holidays, what they were meant to do together. The brooms, the flamboyant fireworks, and just behind her she had heard someone mention a swamp had sprung up in the fifth floor corridor…they were escaping. Umbridge's furious shriek brought her back to reality, the girl blinking just in time to see the woman chased from the Great Hall by a giant dragon. As it snapped its jaws shut the building shook, the walls quaking enough to send the hundreds of Educational Decrees littering the archway to the ground, every one of the glad cases smashing into pieces. The students ran out into the courtyard as the twins flew from the school, proceeding to whiz around between the pillars until most of the population of Hogwarts was either filing out of the castle or looking out of the windows.

Her heart thumped loudly in her ears until she could hear nothing else as she ran out of the castle, weaving her way between the professors and students to find a vantage point. Someone's elbow struck her in the ribs just as another person stood on her foot, leaving her hopping toward the outer battlements. The twins were just visible from where she was stood in a balcony overlooking the Great Lake, her hands on the stone balustrade as she leaned forward just in time to see them throw something in the air. A gigantic W comprised of orange sparks lit up the sky over the castle, the twins grinning as they gave each other a high five and turned into the fire, disappearing toward the horizon. Verity felt her outstretched hand fall to her side, numb as she registered what had just happened. She had watched as they told the students to get rid of the old bat and even managed to get a salute from Peeves after they told him to give her hell, Fred had then swooped low enough to kiss Angelina before they flew off, it had been the best goodbye anyone could have given…except they had forgotten her. Her shoulders slumped in defeat, feeling like someone had just kicked her in the stomach, her eyes staring at the ground.

"…Very…"

The voice came from before her, soft and warm, one she knew very well. Slowly, she raised her gaze to find another pair of brown eyes looking back at her, mischief and amusement crinkling them slightly. George flew a little closer to the balcony edge and reached out for her hand, pulling her to the edge of the ledge as he hovered in the warm updrafts from the cliffs.

"You didn't think I'd leave without saying goodbye, did you?" He asked, rubbing his thumb over the bandage which covered the scars left by Umbridge.

"…Looked that way for a minute…" She whispered back, a slight hint of a smile tugging at her lips.

"As if I could…" His grin widened as he pulled her closer still, making her lean toward him over the balustrade, "What sort of mate would I be if I did that?"

A dark blush flamed up on her cheeks as she felt herself leaning closer, not sure why her heart was hammering against her chest again, nor why she suddenly found it hard to breathe. His large hand dwarfed hers, his thumb tracing over the edges of the bandage, following the outline of the words he knew to be etched beneath, sending small shocks of electricity through her veins. She found she could not break his gaze, his eyes holding her captive as he leaned forward, his hand still clutching hers as he stopped mere centimetres from her face. The noise of the crowd dispersing behind her faded to nothing, all of her attention fixed on the man in front of her.

"A crappy one…" She murmured, her free hand rising shakily to brush against his cheek, her fingers running over the slight stubble she found there.

"Yeah, a crappy one…" He agreed, not moving as she touched his face, his eyes searching for something in hers, "Can I give you a proper goodbye then?"

Biting down on her lower lip she slowly nodded, her breath coming fast and shallow as he let go of her hand, his fingers sliding up her arm and around the back of her neck. George closed the gap between them instantly, his lips descending on hers as he pulled her against him. Verity felt the heat rush to her face again but she did not care, her own fingers running through his hair as he kissed her gently. A moment later he pulled away, his eyes seeking out that answer still in her own until he nodded, apparently happy with what he found. Tracing his thumb over her cheek one last time he gave her a bright grin and pushed away from the balcony, his eyes bright with hope.

"You'd better write to me Black…I'd hate to have to prank you as soon as I pick you up from Kings Cross at the end of term." He laughed, running a hand through his windswept hair.

"Of course I'll bloody write Weasley!" She felt the heat fade instantly to be replaced with mock rage, though the strange fluttering remained beneath, "You just better remember to reply!"

"Naturally…" He grinned, sweeping her a bow from his broom before his gaze softened, "Later, Very…"

Verity watched as he turned and swooped off after his brother who was sat hovering in mid-air not ten feet away, grinning his head off as he winked over at her. Feeling the blush come back she quickly gave him a glimpse of her middle finger, grinning back as he crowed with laughter before the two of them fly out of view into the sunset. Once she was sure they were gone she turned on her heel and walked back to the courtyard, stopping as she saw the rest of her friends waiting, each one of them grinning just as Fred had. Knowing she had been rumbled Verity stuck her nose in the air and walked past them, ignoring the whistles and calls of "Very and George, sitting in a tree!" as she stepped into the castle. At least she had something to keep her going for the few weeks they had left, something that even Umbridge could not take away.

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**A/N: Sooo…sorry to make you wait so long! We've hit over 100 followers now! I feel so proud and it's because of you guys, thank you. As a side note I also have this posted up on MyHogwarts and it's currently in the top 6 most read books! **

**I hope you liked this chapter because now I'm going to ask a question. Should I finish the story here or go until the end of the school year? I have the next story laid out already so it just depends on what you lot think. Let me know in your reviews.**

**Thanks again!**


	23. On with the show

DISCLAIMER: I don't have any rights to the characters other than the ones that are quite obviously not canon.

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**Chapter 23: On with the show**

The tale of the twins escape had grown to legend status within a week of them leaving the school, much to the amusement of their friends they had left behind. Lee relished in retelling the story to anyone who would listen to him, layering on the embellishments until all that remained of the original tale was the fact that they had flown out of the grounds on shackled brooms. Meanwhile Verity spent every waking moment alone in the choir room; though she was doing nothing that resembled the practice of music. In the corner behind the grand piano and a broken harp there was a small copper cauldron bubbling away quite merrily, the contents of which kept giving off puffs of violet scented smoke in shades of vivid green. So far she had spent two days going over the notes that Fred had owled to her, the parchment battered and crumpled from Umbridge's post screening process. The instructions tailed off after she had to add a spoonful of doxy droppings, they had not managed to figure the rest out before they had had to leave, thus the reason they had sent her it instead.

_If anyone can figure this out, it's you Very. We're counting on you, use it well._

She grinned at Fred's curling handwriting as she walked in the room and locked the door behind her, ready to give it another go. Shoving the letter back in her bag she sunk to the floor behind the piano and dragged her notepad to her, Self-Inking quill at the ready as she peered into the cauldron. Two seconds later and she had yanked herself back so fast that she heard her neck pop unpleasantly, a sharp twinge racing down her spine. The potion was so green that it actually glowed, searing into her vision to make bright spots dance before her eyes. Wiping her damp cheeks with her sleeve she thrust her hand into her bag once more and quickly tipped the contents of a small glass vial into the gloop, the mixture of ground hazelnuts, giant's toenails and the hair from the head of a House Elf incinerated in seconds. She waited with baited breath, not daring to blink less she missed a moment. A minute later and she started to grin. The venomous green had taken on a purple sheen, the liquid solidifying until it lay in the bottom of the cauldron as a quivering lump which seemed to shiver each time her glass stirring spoon touched it. Nodding excitedly to herself she muttered the enchantment to cancel the flames beneath it and sat back.

The loud knock at the door sent the spoon flying out of her hand across the room, smashing into pieces against the hard flagstones while she threw a mouldy looking dust cloth over her cauldron. Cursing under her breath she sat completely still, her heart thundering in her chest as the person at the door knocked again and then called out in a harsh whisper.

"Very! Will you open the bloody door you mad bat!"

Grinning when recognising the voice she jumped to her feet and ran over, quickly letting Lee in before shutting, bolting and magicking the door locked once more. Her mate walked past her to where he knew she kept her cauldron and sank to his knees, a handful of cloth spilling onto the floor in front of him. Making sure there was definitely no one listening in Verity turned and followed him, clapping her hands with glee when she saw the material shimmering in various hues of yellow.

"Lee, it's perfect! Where in Merlin's undies did you find so much of it?" She asked, running a length through her fingers in bliss.

"You know those scarves Trelawney drapes over all her lamps? Well those would be these. Say hello to five top quality, if ugly, unicorn hair scarves. Now are you going to tell me what you need them for?" He asked, leaning back against the piano with a sigh.

"It's a surprise." She replied, already spooning equal measures of her new mixture into the centre of each scarf and watching as it sunk into the material, "It's just perfect."

"And you're off your bloody head. You do realise that the Quidditch match is about to begin? Tell me you hadn't forgotten about it Very?!" He said in exasperation as he saw the shocked look on her face.

"I did wonder why I dressed in George's jumper this morning. Alright, keep your knickers on, I'm coming. You know, you're worse than Angelina sometimes, at least the twins let me have actual fun."

Sighing just like Lee had she threw the five lengths of silk into her now empty and unlit cauldron before running for the door with him, remembering to lock the choir room behind them. As it was the weekend she was dressed casually in jeans and trainers, George's infamous Christmas jumper on her to keep her warm in the late spring breezes. The two of them ran like the wind down to the pitch, the sound of the crowd cheering already making them pick up their pace so that when they finally arrived they were completely out of breath. Lee made his way to the staff box where the commentators box was, leaving Verity to trudge up one of the Gryffindor stands, hoping that she would find at least some of her friends there. A smile broke on her face as she recognised Terry Boot from Lee's dorm, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas sitting at the front. Pushing her way past the very excited First Years she plonked herself down on the bench between Terry and Dean, flashing them a bright smile when they went to complain.

"Oh hush, my arse isn't that big. Ron's looking a bit green, isn't he?" She commented, looking over at the Weasley who was indeed an odd shade of khaki.

Before anyone could agree the match had started, her eyes flicking rapidly as she tried to follow the players, Lee's voice booming over the stands. Her heart sank in her chest as the Quaffle soared past Ron's outstretched hands to fly through a goal, a wave of Slytherin's on the other side of the pitch getting to their feet as one and starting to sing in loud voices.

_Weasley cannot save a thing,_

_He cannot block a single ring…_

Verity growled under her breath before getting to her feet as well, glad that the tower she had chosen was fairly near the Gryffindor goals. Reaching for the flag Terry was half-heartedly holding up she snatched it and held it up instead, waving and whooping so loudly that the other Gryffindors in the tower with her got to their feet and began to do the same. Poor Ron was trying his best without the snakes chiming in, she made a mental note that before the term was over she would think of an equally catty song about Malfoy, perhaps throwing in a comment about a ferret.

The match quickly picked up pace and far from being disheartened by the song which kept blaring over the stadium, Ron seemed to be getting the hang of being a Keeper. It had only taken him how many matches, Verity thought to herself but kept quiet. Another goal for Gryffindor, it actually looked like they might win! Hollering loudly she got on the bench and waved like mad, Terry laughing beside her as she danced for dear life. Further along from them she could hear Luna Lovegood cheering on both teams simultaneously, one minute calling out for Cho Chang and the next for her friend Ginny. Another goal followed by another save from Ron! Verity tugged Seamus and Dean to their feet and began to yell out loudly.

_Weasley is our King,_

_Weasley is our King,_

_He DIDN'T let the Quaffle in,_

_Weasley is our King!_

The two boys quickly caught on and started singing along with her, Dean spouting verses with ease until the whole tower was doing it too. In the distance she could see the grin spread across Ron's face and as Ginny flew past she gave a thumbs up to the crowd. The enthusiasm caught like wildfire, the next stand listening in and jumping on the bandwagon to throw another round out there for the rest to hear.

_Weasley can save ANYTHING,_

_He didn't let the Quaffle in,_

_That's why Gryffindors all sing;_

_Weasley is our King!_

The whistle blew sharply, the match had ended but which side had won? Then she saw her, whizzing around the pitch triumphantly with the Snitch struggling in her hand, a victorious look on her face. Verity immediately punched the air and screamed, her voice hoarse as she launched into another verse while Ginny Weasley did a second lap of the pitch before landing. The crowd tumbled down the stairs as a solid mass, the Gryffindors pouring onto the pitch to lift the team into the air on their shoulders, giving them a true hero's ride back to the castle. As she ran after them she blinked in shock, watching as Lee Jordan grabbed Katie Bell and smooched her right there in the middle of the crowd, not caring who was looking. Verity gaped until Angelina caught her up in a hug, dancing around like a loony before laughing at the sight.

"How did you not know about them?! They got each other signed Easter eggs and everything!" The taller girl laughed, wrapping an arm around her friend's shoulders.

"Now that you mention it, I did see some writing on the egg of Katie's that I smashed! Oops…but who cares?! We won the cup!" She yelled, the two of them swaying amongst the crowd as they passed Harry and Hermione, "Weasley is our King! He didn't let the Quaffle in!"

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June had arrived in its usual glorious manner, with blue skies and sunshine. Not that anyone could enjoy it as exams had started. The younger years were already stressing out over their O.W.L's and the Seventh Years had taken to practically living in the library as they tried to cram in as much knowledge as they could before they were called away to sit their N.E.W.T's. Thursday morning dawned with a bang, the girls heading downstairs to the Common Room only to find it buzzing with gossip, rumours flying around them much like one of the twin's fireworks. It took all but five minutes to find out what had happened, the entire eldest year sinking into the couches as they listened, dumbstruck, as to how their Head of House had been struck down with several stunners to the chest and that Hagrid had fled from the school grounds. Verity could hardly contain her anger as she got to her feet, leading the way to the covered courtyard for their Defence Against The Dark Arts practical exam, ready to aim her wand directly at Umbridge, hopefully at point blank range. It was Angelina who grabbed her hand and shook her head, signalling it would be stupid to do anything in front of so many examiners. Barely controlling herself she somehow blasted her way through the exam, no longer caring what results became of it, it wasn't as though her Father would care and seeing as she could always fall back onto the joke shop as a career it would be fine, at least she knew she had aced Charms. After they had traipsed back indoors once more she made her excuses to the others and began to head back to the Common Room on her own, needing time to think. Pushing through the crowd of students she didn't see where she was going until a familiar voice rang out in her ear.

"You can't come down here! No, sorry, you're going to have to go round by the swivelling staircase, someone's let off Garrotting Gas just along here-" Yelled Ginny, nearly deafening her as she turned to address someone who doubted there was such a thing, "If you want to walk through it, carry on, then we'll have your body as proof for the next idiot who doesn't believe us."

"Er…Ginny, not that I don't believe you but…" She said nervously as she walked closer, the other students quickly leaving, "What the hell is going on?"

"Garrotting Gas Verity, you heard me. You'd better get a move on before-"

"Ginny…I'm not stupid. What the hell had happened that means you need this corridor clear?" Verity snapped, not in the mood to be patronised.

"Harry had another vision…" Ginny sighed, tugging her to the side as the boy in question slipped past them, "A bad one."

"Please don't say it was your dad again…or the twins, dear Merlin it was, wasn't it?" She gasped, immediately breathing a sigh of relief as Ginny shook her head.

"It wasn't any of my family Verity…he saw He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named with a hostage…" The younger girl looked at her with serious eyes, Verity's heart sinking as she recognised the look on her face, already knowing what she was about to say, "Verity…he has Sirius…he has your dad…"

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**A/N: Thank you for putting up with my procrastination between updates! I've started NaNoWriMo this year on top of a hectic work schedule so my time is very limited but I do want to finish this story! I hope you liked the chapter!**

**You know what's coming up next, don't you? I warn you now to get your tissues ready.**


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